August 31, 2021
Greetings!
As you know, global supply chain issues are impacting our economy. An unprecedented influx of cargo, complicated by a slow-down in the movement of containers off port terminals, is resulting in downstream effects on the speed and efficiency of vessel service.
As of this morning, we had 79,813 containers on Garden City Terminal, including 30,726 empties, 30,284 imports and 18,745 export loads – with the total being 36 percent more than this time last year.
Many of you have received information on GPA’s new rules aimed at expediting vessel service as well as addressing the number of containers on terminal. As of Aug. 28, GPA began sorting vessels in two size classes, and working each class on a first-come, first-served basis. We also began prioritizing those vessels with a balance between total discharge and total load-back, to ease the impact of new import containers. GPA has also expanded truck gate hours.
We are doing what we can as a port authority, but cargo owners and carriers must also step up to the plate. We need your help to evacuate containers, avoid congestion and allow the continued flow of cargo across our docks.
While our annual throughput for FY2021 grew by 20 percent, our import dwell time grew by 140 percent (4.21 days to 10.17 days) during that time. According to the latest numbers, import dwell time has now reached nearly 11 days.
In the coming weeks, our team will be in touch with many of you about the improvements GPA is making, and improvements we would like to see you consider. The three primary, immediate solutions for the problem are:
- Transferring additional containers from truck to rail. For many cargo owners using truck-only transit to destinations such as Atlanta, Charlotte, Orlando or Memphis, our Mason Mega Rail and Appalachian Regional Port might be better choices. Currently under-utilized, our intermodal rail is experiencing dwell times of less than two days at Garden City Terminal. We believe it is a natural fit for many shippers.
- Grounding containers at or near distribution centers. We are in the processing of identifying these potential sites, and we will be in contact with you in the near future.
- Using our additional Saturday gate hours. We have expanded truck gate hours on Saturday, now running from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. with no interruption during lunch break. We encourage motor carriers to take advantage of this additional opportunity to access cargo.
I want to personally thank those of you who have reduced inventory levels on our terminals in recent days. The work you are doing is incredibly important to resolving the global supply chain issues we are having today.
Once again, thank you for all you are doing, and for your business..
Sincerely,
