SSA Containers president Ed DeNike says his company is looking for ways to avoid US west coast ports with their rising environmental taxes by going through the Panama or Suez canals and heading for harbours on the eastern seaboard.
Costs of moving cargo through southern California are rising because of a range of new container fees, said Mr DeNike. This include a US$35 per TEU fee for clean trucks, $15 per TEU for infrastructure, a $35 per TEU bill introduced in the state legislature, and the $18 per TEU Alameda Corridor fee for containers leaving the state by rail. The Port of Oakland is considering similar fees.
Ports America Group vice president Walter Romanowski added that the situation presents a long-term opportunity for the Pacific Northwest Ports to expand their business, particularly as it takes six years to receive the go-ahead from environmentalists to develop a port in southern California.
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