RENAMED WATERFRONT COALITION PROPOSES EXTENDED PORT GATE HOURS
The members of the West Coast Waterfront Coalition, a Washington-based group that has lobbied on U.S. West Coast issues, has changed its name to “Waterfront Coalition,” saying that it would address port problems throughout the U.S.
At a meeting on Feb. 6-7, the coalition also agreed to start a pilot project to demonstrate the feasibility of regular extended truck gates in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
“The name change stems from the fact that congestion, security and efficiency issues are not limited to ports on the West Coast of the United States, but nationwide problems,” a spokesman for the group said.
The West Coast Waterfront Coalition was formed in 2000 by U.S. importers, exporters, ocean carriers, terminal operators and others, about one year before the Pacific Maritime Association and the International Longshore Warehouse Union started a new round of difficult contract negotiations. The organization has lobbied on behalf of its members on the West Coast dispute and container security issues.
The Waterfront Coalition now says that U.S. ports across the nation are facing problems that could eventually impact shippers.
“International trade is growing at an ever-increasing rate,” said Waterfront Coalition executive director Robin Lanier. “American ports do not possess the adequate infrastructure to deal with this heightened volume or new demands posed by port and cargo security regulation.”
The group said that it has been successful in educating importers and exporters about the issues on the waterfront, and “has mobilized cargo owners to find business solutions – such as extended gate hours for trucks.”
This will require cargo owners to commit
cargo to those gates, the group said.
“Most stakeholders feel that shippers are the key to moving more freight during off-hours when the roads are less congested,” Lanier said. “We are initiating a survey of cargo owners to ascertain how many gate moves they will be willing to commit by terminal in the Los Angeles and Long Beach area.”
If there is sufficient willingness to commit to night and weekend gates in LA and Long Beach, the project may be extended to other ports, including New York and New Jersey.
The Waterfront Coalition hopes to secure commitments from cargo owners and other shippers by mid-March and seek discussions with terminal operators to see what nights can accommodate extended gates.
The group is planning to hold its next quarterly meeting in Newark, N.J.