According to a release sent out by the Port of Long Beach (POLB) Wednesday, The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners has approved an extra six months of operation for “Pier S,” a temporary container storage facility located on the harbor district’s yet-to-be-developed location.
The 30-acre storage depot opened in December of 2014 and has served as a space where loaded cargo containers, empty containers and chassis could be stored due to the overflow of incoming and outgoing containers at the port. With its usage set to expire on March 31, the Port acted to extend the use of the area for six more months. Pasha Stevedoring & Terminals Inc., will continue to operate the depot, while the Port will monitor traffic for any potential issues.
Since the opening of the storage depot, conditions at the Port have changed slightly for the better due to a tentative agreement that was reached on the dockworkers’ contract and federal regulators gave the POLB and Port of Los Angeles permission to work together, in addition to the recent implementation of a “gray fleet” of chassis. Despite such improvements and steps forward, the terminals are still in need of additional space, as workers slowly but surely chip away at the backlog of cargo created from months of congestion.
“I applaud my fellow Commissioners for supporting innovative solutions to congestion and accelerating goods movement in our port complex. With the vision and leadership of Chief Executive Jon Slangerup and his team, we continue to take bold steps to ensure the Port of Long Beach remains the premier seaport in North America,” said Harbor Commission Vice President Rich Dines in a statement.
The POLB is one of the world’s premier seaports with 140 shipping lines connecting Long Beach to 217 seaports, handling $180 billion in trade annually and supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs in Southern California.
Companies and individuals interested in using the depot must first contact depot operator Pasha at (310) 233-2005 or [email protected].