The Port of Los Angeles and its sister in Long Beach, which together make up the busiest harbor complex in the U.S., may seek federal authority to resolve congestion that has ships sitting idle offshore, waiting for docks to clear.
The commission governing the Port of Long Beach, the nation’s second-busiest after Los Angeles, is to vote Monday on a petition to the Federal Maritime Commission for an antitrust exemption to let the ports work together to solve the problem.
New vessel-sharing alliances that have changed ship call patterns, increased competition for rail slots and a shortage of truck drivers have contributed to congestion, along with labor issues regarding unionized longshore workers, the Port of Long Beach said in a statement.