Representatives of major transpacific liner carriers met with U.S. exporters earlier this week to discuss the dilemma many are faced with getting their products to market because of a lack of capacity on containerships. Lowenthal, a Long Beach Democrat, has set a goal to pass the bill through the Legislature by June 30. The bill -- which would impose the per-TEU fee on containers moving through the ports of Long Beach, Los Angeles and Oakland -- is projected to raise $400 million to $500 million annually for goods movement infrastructure and environmental projects throughout the state.
Ron Widdows, chief executive officer of APL, and chairman of the Westbound Transportation Stabilization Agreement (WTSA), said he was not able to offer any quick fixes for the problem, but thought the session helped shippers better understand the causes of the problem, and said carriers may look at whether network changes could help ease the capacity crunch exporters face. |
