Long Beach port in California is bringing in a container ship to help clear a backlog of empty cargo containers left behind after the bankruptcy of Hanjin Shipping. The Port said that it had reached an agreement with terminal operator Total Terminals International (TTI) to bring the ship into port to remove up to 4,300 empty containers. This would free up the chassis on which they are currently sitting, blocking them from use by other containerships.
“The Port of Long Beach recognized the urgency to alleviate the shortage created by the estimated 6,000 Hanjin-leased containers sitting on chassis which are needed throughout Southern California to move goods in and out of the region,” said Lori Ann Guzman, president of the Board of Harbour Commissioners, adding that “The Port of Long Beach has been working with TTI and other supply chain partners to find creative solutions to solve the chassis shortage.”
The empty container ship is expected to arrive in Long Beach this week. TTI will load the ship at cost, while the Port of Long Beach will waive its fee for access to the port’s terminal.
TTI Long Beach will be receiving specific Hanjin-leased empty containers authorized by leasing companies Triton, Textainer, Seacube and Florens.