Estimated $40B in Cargo on Waiting Container Ships off East and West Coasts

Of the estimated 125 container ships waiting off North American ports in early July, 64% were waiting off East and Gulf coasts, with only 36% off the West coast. That represents an estimated $40 billion in cargo, waiting an average of 8-10 days to dock on the West coast, and 11-13 days to dock on the East and Gulf coasts.

The big news in late 2021 and early 2022 was the massive backlogs at the Los Angeles/Long Beach ports. At the peak on January 9^th, there were 109 ships waiting. As of July 8^th, it was down to 24 container ships waiting to berth, although this number is still slightly higher than July 2021.

Source:
1. Containers flood into U.S. ports at record levels, Inside Logistics, July 20, 2022. Accessed July 25, 2022.
2. There’s still over $40B in cargo on container ships waiting offshore, American Shipper, July 8, 2022. Accessed July 25, 2022.