California ports among world’s least efficient, ranking shows

Re:California ports among world’s least efficient, ranking s... by abeppu on Wednesday October 20, 2021 @07:42PM (#28938329)

I know some companies are pretty angry at the large shippers for sharp price increases (and IDK at what point that really becomes 'gouging'). But I wonder if there's a sort of 3rd order effect going on here, where shipping companies have made the problems which they then tripped over (and clogged the ports in the process):

- Shipping companies realize that they can make more money by sailing empty back to pick stuff up in China, rather than wait to load up with goods leaving American ports

- American warehouses get unusually full with stuff that can no longer get onto an out-going ship

- Firms who have goods arriving at the port don't have warehouse space to receive them (or trucks to move them), so they linger in the yards at the port

- Shipping companies are then slowed down waiting at the ports

... and perhaps there's also a whiff of tragedy of the commons between shipping companies, in that even if they realize that this is the impact of leaving goods piled up unable to leave the US, any one firm doesn't benefit from choosing to wait to load up before sailing back?

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Re:California ports among world’s least efficient, ranking s... by fshbbdssbbgdd on Wednesday October 20, 2021 @08:18PM (#28938621)

It sounds like the feedback loop can only occur because there is a shortage of space at the warehouse. If warehouses responded to being full by raising prices until they are not full, would companies with goods in the warehouse start paying shippers more to take their goods from the warehouse? At some price, it will be worth the ship’s time to wait for the goods to be loaded.

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