General Notes
The ILWU (west coast dock workers) has not come to an agreement with the PMA. The ILWU contract expired July 1 2022. To date there has been no talk of a strike, with both sides working to negotiate a new contract.
Contract negotiation are still ongoing at the start of June, progress is being made in these negotiations.
At the start of June we see that all US ports are operating with minimal delays, and minimal vessels waiting.
Savannah, GA is the only possible exception with 9 vessels waiting.
Fuel Updates
Ocean Fuel (VLSFO) had been trending down through Q3 and Q4, the price was volatile throughout Q1, at the start of June it is down roughly 15% since January.
This fuel type is up roughly 25% over its 2019/2020 levels.
Diesel in the USA as the start of June is $3.85 a gallon (California is $0.96 more per gallon)
Diesel is still currently near its all-time high price. This continues to keep freight prices high.
Additionally, average diesel prices reported by EIA.gov are typically lower than truck stop prices, and are average across large sections of the country.
Data Analysis
April imports are up slightly compared to 2019, but far below the previous 2 years.
March to April comparison, total container count into the USA – growth over the same period in 2021 and 2022!
East / Gulf Coast Ports continue to handle more volume than the west coast, by a small margin.
The PDF below is port-by-port review across the U.S. in 2023 compared to 2022 & 2021.