After more than a decade of expansion and uninterrupted growth Los Angeles and Long Beach has hit a fallow patch. The global recession has left terminal operators suffering from a capacity glut. … The slowdown and the growth of rival ports in the Pacific north-west in Seattle and the Prince Rupert operation in Canada have also switched the balance of power to shipping lines bringing cargo into the US. If shipping lines are unhappy with prices charged by the terminal operators they can take their business elsewhere to get a better deal — an option that was not available to them 18 months ago when Los Angeles and Long Beach were full to capacity.
