Tag Archives: ports

Rapidly plunging Rhine remains supply chain problem

Posted on August 22, 2022 by | 1 comment

Low water levels in the Rhine River severely impact barge and shipping traffic. The Rhine is one of the most important inland shipping routes in Europe. EU nations have for years now tried to emphasize getting freight traffic off the roads and onto rivers via barge.

One of the most severe impacts is to refineries along the Rhine. They have had to shut down because of lack of supply. That’s bad for Europe, because of the shortage of petroleum fuels due to the Ukraine war.

This map shows the problem.

Source: S&P Global Commodity Insights.

The depth measurements at Kaub, shown in the middle of the map, increased in the last few days due to extensive rain in Switzerland, but remain far below normal levels. There’s not enough water to float some barges that would normally be used for river cargo and petroleum products.

It’s a blow for the EU caused by a natural problem. Is global warming to blame? We don’t know, but cyclical droughts have been known for years, and clearly disrupt our plans. Trucking congestion is rising fast, and is neither as efficient nor as clean as the barge traffic.

John Kingston Friday, August 19, 2022

Rapidly plunging Rhine remains supply chain problem even as some relief looms – FreightWaves

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Posted in Logistics, Ports, Shipping, Supply Chains

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Turning point? Port of LA boss sees imports ‘easing’ lower in August

Posted on August 18, 2022 by | 1 comment

What’s interesting to me here is the landside issues section. Rail remains challenged. LA Port can’t get enough trains in to pick up containers. There are now 33000 containers waiting for pickup by rail. Over 20000 have been there 9 days or more. Rail has to step up and provide more equipment to get these containers out.

Congestion on the sea side is practically gone. There are fewer than 15 ships waiting right now. It seems the major congestion in the US has shifted to the East Coast.

Greg Miller Wednesday, August 17, 2022

Turning point? Port of LA boss sees imports ‘easing’ lower in August

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Kern County Board greenlights 3 million TEU Mojave Inland Port

Posted on August 16, 2022 by | 1 comment

The LA and Long Beach Ports have gone ahead by obtaining approval from Kern County Supervisors for a large inland port in Mojave CA. It will provide a place where containers can be gotten off the limited space at the port, and deployed where they can be rerouted to other destinations.

Developing inland ports is a move we’ve been recommending for years now. By ‘we’, I mean my colleague Chris Clott and me. We wrote about it years ago in this paper. Then, we were thinking much farther afield than Mojave, perhaps Chicago or a midwestern site. Those were the days of the land bridge to Europe, which has been reduced and delayed by the congestion of the last year. There is probably still a need for an inland dry port farther on, but the Mojave location should help a lot.

With a capacity of 3 million TEU and access to rail and air as well as truck transport, it should help to reduce congestion at the Los Angeles and Long Beach Ports.

Mojave is inland and to the north of Los Angeles and the ports, about 119 miles and two and a half hours away. There’s a rail connection, as well as some excellent interstate freeways to the door. It should be ideal for both Northern transport toward the Bay Area and north, and Eastward transport toward Las Vegas and beyond.

We’ll see when it will be open for business.

We’ll help you visualize with a map.

August 16, 2022 By Jack Donnelly

Board greenlights 3 million TEU Mojave Inland Port – Port Technology International

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