Speaking as President of the California Association of Port Authorities (CAPA), Port of Oakland Executive Director Danny Wan requested state help this week to ease a U.S. supply chain crisis. He called for increased collaboration and solutions from all levels of government as containerized cargo continues to back up at California ports.
“The current congestion that we see today is a result of decades of underinvestment in our ports and supply chain,” Wan said at the California Legislature’s Select Committee on Ports and Good Movement. “Notably there is an 11-to-1 imbalance in federal transportation and waterside spending on other port complexes around the country compared to those in our state,” he said.
He recommended everything from a state-funded supply chain investment fund to land dedicated to cargo container storage. His request came as scores of ships daily wait to berth at Southern California ports and cargo languishes on docks. The months-long supply chain crisis is blamed for consumer good shortages and a spike in U.S. inflation.
According to Mr. Wan, California ports have handled record cargo volumes in the past two years due to skyrocketing consumer purchasing during the pandemic that continues. The result has been a widespread supply-chain challenge not only for the U.S., but globally as well.