Supply Chain Roundup | Put time back in your day

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OCEAN SHIPPING

To battle congestion, California seeks private, public land for container storage

State agencies are working on short and long-term ideas. In the short-term, the executive order calls for state agencies to identify parcels of land that could be used to store some of the cargo containers backing up San Pedro Bay ports. It also gave agencies 30 days to identify "priority freight routes" to be considered for weight exemptions. In addition, the order put timelines in place for longer-term ideas such as asking agencies for a list of supply chain infrastructure needs that could be included in the state's 2022 budget, and convening an industry panel tasked with exploring the effects of port automation on labor by March 1, 2022.

Long Beach eases container rules to tackle “National Emergency”

Officials in Long Beach, California, relaxed restrictions on storing shipping containers in a bid to ease a bottleneck that’s left nearly 80 vessels waiting offshore to enter the biggest U.S. gateway for ocean freight. The city manager, in a statement late Friday, said the temporary zoning rule, effective immediately and set to last for 90 days, will allow stacks of four containers high compared with the long-time limit of two. The note posted online cited a “a national emergency related to the supply and distribution of imported goods arriving in our nation's ports.”

RAIL

September intermodal volumes see declines

Total September volume—at 1,499,034 units—was down 7.3% annually, well above August’s 1.6% annual decline. Trailers—at 92,954—fell 15.2% annually, and domestic containers—at 664,986—were down 7.0%. All domestic equipment, which includes trailers and domestic containers—at 757,940—decreased…

China-Europe rail freight boom brings congestion at the borders

Russia is experiencing a boom in China-Europe rail freight volumes, but it is bringing congestion at key border crossings. According to Russian Railways (RR), January-to-September volumes were up 47% year on year, to 568,700 teu, more than during the whole of last year.

ECONOMY

Biden, Congress negotiating in final push for $1 trillion roads and bridges deal

President Joe Biden signaled confidence that his personal lobbying of reluctant Democratic senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Synema of Arizona ultimately will prevail and the nation shortly will have two huge infrastructure bills – one covering traditional roads and bridges and the other, larger bill for “human infrastructure.”

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