If it’s true that congestion problems are far from being solved and that the dwell times of import containers in the port yards are still far too long, especially in the United States-where a number of terminals, in Los Angeles, Long Beach, Newark, and Elizabeth, are still congested -the only solution to protect one’s business interests is to reduce the dwell times of containers on the quays.
This is exactly what Maersk has announced it intends to do. In a note to its customers, the Danish shipping company said that as of August 8th , all those containers already cleared through customs that have been sitting in the terminals for at least 9 days and for which a pickup time has not been confirmed will be taken outside the port.
In short, the dwell time, previously set at 14 days, will be reduced by five days. According to Maersk, this solution is designed to improve terminal productivity while freeing up new capacity.
Indeed, with the peak season now just around the corner, it becomes essential to ensure greater reliability in transportation services. This is another reason why Maersk pointed out that it is mainly containers that have not yet cleared customs that affect the terminal’s dwell time. The carrier is therefore asking customers to cooperate with the goal of pre-clearing cargo before the ship arrives.
Translation by Giles Foster
