(Ship and Bunker) — Alongside information that the CMA CGM S.A. (CMA CGM) 18,000 TEU Benjamin Franklin will change into the biggest containership to name at any U.S. port upon its 26 December arrival within the Port of Los Angeles, whereas Drewry Shipping Consultants Ltd (Drewry) says that U.S. West Coast (USWC) ports aren’t ready to deal with mega field ships frequently.

“U.S. West Coast ports are not yet in a position to handle 18,000 TEU containerships regularly and have much work to do in terms of improving productivity if they are to see them call on anything other than an ad-hoc basis,” stated Drewry.

Drewry says the Benjamin Franklin’s arrival is “largely a public relations exercise,” including that the vessel, which might not be totally loaded, will be unable to “meaningfully” take a look at the Los Angeles terminal’s capability for coping with such vessels.

“At the very least it raises the question of what the USWC ports need to do to get there,” famous Drewry.

With vessel sizes anticipated to extend throughout the board, Drewry says that it will be significant for West Coast ports to enhance their infrastructure to accommodate larger ships, together with adjusting water depth, quay size, and cranes, in addition to bettering the effectivity of coping with cargo.

“It’s important for the U.S. West Coast ports to step up as they are losing some of their dominant market share to their rivals on the East Coast, which will soon get a boost from the expanded Panama Canal that will triple the maximum size of containership that can call there,” defined Drewry.

However, the consultancy additionally warns that adjustments at ports have to be executed strategically.

“Introducing too many ULCVs (Ultra Large Container Vessels) to the West Coast ports before they are fully ready would most likely worsen productivity, rather than improve matters, and could add days to the load and discharge time for boxes at terminals, thus undermining the USWC’s competitiveness versus the USEC (U.S. East Coast),” stated Drewry.

While terminal automation would enhance productiveness and allow 24/7 operations, Drewry additionally notes that the flexibleness required from unionised dock employees to realize such automation “seems a long way off.”

In June, Ship & Bunker reported that the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) stated that the completion of the Panama Canal growth might imply as a lot as 10 p.c of East Asia container site visitors presently going to the U.S. West Coast would swap to East Coast ports by 2020.

This article was written by ShipandBunker.com, the world’s main free to entry web site targeted on marine gasoline, with information, unique options, and bunker worth indications for 150+ ports. 

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