New data shows that containers rerouted from the Port of Baltimore have faced significantly longer dwell times at other East Coast ports taking in the overflow volume.
The Port of Baltimore has been closed to most vessel traffic since the Dali container ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26. Supply chain software company Project 44 estimates that, in the weeks that followed, 41% of shipments originally destined for Baltimore were rerouted to New York. Another 30% went to Norfolk, while 10% ended up at Newark-Elizabeth.
Read More: First Container Ship Since Bridge Collapse Arrives at Port of Baltimore
While overall average dwell times at each East Coast port haven’t increased, containers initially slated for Baltimore have had to sit for longer than usual. In New York, those rerouted containers have sat for a median time of just over four days, compared to the port’s overall median dwell of 2.75 days. Although the overall median dwell for Norfolk sits at 2.7 days, the median for rerouted containers from Baltimore has hovered around five days.
Project 44 says that this is because shippers have struggled to find carriers to pick up the rerouted containers from their new ports.
“Generally, shippers have contracted rates with carriers for commonly used trade lanes, but if a shipper does not often receive shipments in these ports, it can be difficult to find someone within their existing carrier network to pick them up,” their report reads.
This has also proven costly for shippers, with estimated demurrage charges for rerouted containers left sitting at new ports coming at a $188 per container. Combined across all affected containers, those charges could add up to as much as $3.9 million each week.
