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LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Los Angeles is no stranger to traffic jams, but not necessarily to those in the water.
(credit: CBS)
The congestion in the waters off the Port of Los Angeles continues to worsen, with a new record of 70 cargo ships waiting to enter LA and Long Beach ports – up from 60 that were spotted last week .
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The bottleneck at the port is partly due to the shortage of trucks and drivers to pick up the goods. Ships carry everything from furniture and electronics to vacation toys.
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Marine traffic has increased by 50% from pre-pandemic levels, contributing to the bottleneck. The ports of LA and Long Beach handle 40% of the country’s imports.
“The American buying force is so strong and epic that we cannot absorb all of this cargo into the national supply chain,” said LA port manager Gene Seroka. This could mean that shoppers may not be able to find the items they want in the time they want, especially when it comes to shopping for the holidays.
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Economists fear the maritime stalemate will continue until the end of 2022.
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