Before the pandemic, the ports in Long Beach and Los Angeles typically averaged zero to one ships at anchor, waiting to dock and unload. The highest backlog that the ports, which are responsible for nearly half of all US imports, had seen was 17 ships, according to the executive director of the Marine Exchange of Southern California.

Time-lapsed data from Spire Maritime, a vessel-tracking company, tells the story of how the backlogs grew to encompass 100 ships.

The graphics, which were recreated from satellite Automated Identificatuin System (AIS) data, show cargo ships as red dots, while all other vessels, including cruise ships, tugboats, as well as personal ships, are shown in blue. Each dot on the graphic represents individual vessel’s location based on their AIS receiver.

November 2019

Southern California ports November 2019 Courtesy of Spire Maritime

At the onset of the pandemic, COVID-19 shutdowns slowed port traffic, as well as the locations’ capacity for unloading and reloading vessels. But, by the latter half of 2020, panic-buying and surging demand for tech as well as household products buoyed maritime traffic at the same time as the holiday-shopping season.

In a satellite depiction from the same month a year later, it shows what appears to be over 10 vessels waiting outside the ports.

November 2020

Southern California ports November 2020 Spire Maritime

Backlogs truly began to pick up in 2021. The ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach hit multiple fresh records this year, as consumer demand continued to skyrocket, while the ports were still working to recover from COVID-19 setbacks.

February 2021

Southern California ports February 2021 Courtesy of Spire Maritime

Seven months later, that number nearly doubled — a sign the shipping crisis was here to stay. Consumers were hit with a new wave of shortages of anything from toilet paper and diapers to furniture and cars, while retailers hiked prices to offset record shipping prices.

September 2021

Southern California ports September 2021 Courtesy of Spire Maritime

Nearly two years later, a backlog of two ships has turned into about 100 ships — a crisis that has spawned an “everything shortage” and forced the White House to take action.

Experts predict the shipping crisis will only get worse in the coming months, as retailers prepare for the peak holiday shopping season.

Southern California ports October 2021 Courtesy of Spire Maritime

The backlog is not expected to clear until 2023, according to industry officials.

Fonte: Insider