Port of Los Angeles Moving Cargo and Safeguarding Workforce during COVID-19 Outbreak

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The Port of Los Angeles continues to move cargo at all of its terminals while taking all precautions necessary to protect workers during the COVID-19 public health crisis. All terminals are open and operating.

“Our highest priority is maintaining a safe and healthy working environment throughout the Port complex while continuing our role of keeping consumer goods and critical supplies flowing into all of the nation’s 435 congressional districts served by the Port,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka.

Nine vessels were being worked at the Port of Los Angeles Wednesday when Executive Director Gene Seroka provided a video update on the coronavirus response.

“First and foremost, the Port of Los Angeles is open for business and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise,” Seroka said with a big smile. Seroka said the port is in constant communication with its stakeholders, including marine terminal operators, labor leaders, railroads and harbor truckers, to ensure they have the rules in place to limit or close operations as necessary in order to control the spread of COVID-19.

Seroka said the port complex has had no landside impacts on operations from the coronavirus. “All marine terminal operations at the port are open, and our facilities are processing cargo through a combination of vessel exchange, the staging of containers inside of terminals, on-dock rail operations, and truck gate activity,” he said, adding that seven cargo ships, a liquid bulk vessel and a bulk cargo vessel were being worked at the port Wednesday.

“Overall volume remains at 85% of normal traffic as China, our largest source of cargo, continues to bring manufacturing up to normal levels as their COVID-19 containment measures are gradually lifted,” Seroka said. “Due to the anticipated 15% drop in cargo volume during the first quarter of 2020, jobs across our supply chain are being affected. However, as China manufacturing is restored over the next 30 to 60 days, we expect cargo volume here to grow, creating demand for more workers from the docks to the regional distribution centers and beyond. In fact, in recent days we have seen a 20% increase in union labor shifts compared to the prior week.”

Seroka earlier said 40 vessel sailings from Asia to the Port of LA scheduled between Feb. 11 and April 1 were canceled. In Wednesday’s video message, he also addressed concerns over the potential for virus spread from foreign crews on ships calling the Port of LA and said long-standing rules require ships to report any illnesses on board four days in advance of arrival.

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Ryan Finn
Ryan is the Digital Marketing and Content Creation Manager for Trade and Logistics Siam Ltd. He provides a creative flair to the team and his resourcefulness helps to bring an imaginative improvement to both literary archetypes and online content production. A writer by day and a rider by night, when he's not composing the latest logistics news update or creating compelling copy for our clients, Ryan spends his free time travelling Thailand by motorbike.