2015 Quest for Quality: Ports increase investment and competition paying off

On the heels of the labor disruptions on the U.S. West Coast in late 2014 and early 2015, as well as less dramatic port congestion issues in Europe and Asia, delays to containerized cargo movement have been the subject of many of our news stories and features over the last year—and understandably so.

And while no U.S. port was invulnerable to congestion problems in 2014, the disruptions by dockworkers on the U.S. West Coast actually worked to raise the profile of many smaller ocean cargo gateways across the Gulf and onto the East Coast, adding a competitive element that many port authorities have not witnessed in the past.

In the meantime, shippers have been lead to believe that the pending expansion of the Panama Canal will increase velocity while providing them with more vessel deployment options in their supply chains. While many analysts are advising shipper to “curb their enthusiasm” on this front, the pending canal expansion will continue the investment spree that many ports have experienced over the past five years as they prepare for bigger ships and increased volumes.

The fact remains that LM readers have certainly welcomed the investments designed to increase the speed of their freight, especially through the yards of the 17 ports that are walking away with Quest for Quality gold this year.

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