“I said when we launched this program that I hoped we would never collect a dime because that would mean that containers were moving off our docks. And that’s exactly what occurred,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka. “I’m grateful to the cargo owners and all our waterfront workers for all their successful efforts to improve the efficiency of our operations.”
LONG BEACH AND LOS ANGELES PHASE-OUT CONTAINER DWELL FEES
Effective January 24, 2023, both the Port of Long Beach and the Port of Los Angeles will cease their container dwell fee programs. Launched in October 2021 to mitigate port congestion, both Ports saw a 92% decrease in aging cargo on their docks since the program’s inception. The ports worked closely with carriers to manage port congestion without imposing container dwell fees.
“This fee was conceived as an incentive to ease congestion, keeping imported goods flowing to stores across America. Measured by this standard, we can all appreciate the policy’s success, and best of all, the fee was never implemented. We thank cargo owners and terminal operators for working with us to make operations more efficient, and of course dockworkers for their dedicated labor.”
Mario Cordero, Executive Director
Port of Long Beach
Under the policy, the Ports could exercise a dwell fee on any cargo remaining on the docks longer than nine days. The Port Commissioners extended the program through January 24, 2023. Neither commissioner plans to extend the program beyond that date.
The policy was drafted in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Biden-Harris Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force, and numerous supply chain stakeholders.
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