Ports

Operations at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach may slow if automatic spending cuts go into effect Friday, port officials said, as fewer U.S. customs officers would delay the flow of international cargo through the massive sea ports. Officials of the two ports, which handle 40% of cargo that enters the U.S., warn that so-called sequestration would deal a blow to the Southern California economy as goods headed to market are delayed. QUIZ: Test your knowledge about the debt limit How significant the possible disruption would be remains to be seen as it's unclear how automatic budget cuts would be implemented by the U.S. Coast Guard, which provides security and inspects cargo vessels at the ports, and U.S.  Customs  and Border Protection, which helps seize counterfeit merchandise among other responsibilities.  Still, port officials said they worry that cargo delays would add a few days of total travel time if federal agencies are forced to furlough workers.

The U.S. Supreme Court dismantled part of the Port of Los Angeles' anti-smog program Thursday, ruling that trucking companies don't have to affix "How am I driving?" placards to their vehicles or have off-site parking plans to haul goods in and out of the seaport. The ruling is part of a years-long battle between the American Trucking Assn. and the city of Los Angeles, which operates the port. The high court struck down the placard and parking provisions of the program but sent part of the case back to a lower appellate court for further review.

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are bringing in a surprising new commodity: jobs. The first post-recession surge in employment at the nation's busiest seaport complex began this month and appears to be gathering momentum. There has been as much as a threefold increase in the number of longshoremen finding work on the docks in the first three weeks of February compared with the same period last year, a review of daily employment dispatches shows. Through the first three weeks there was an average of 2,679 longshore jobs a day during the usual three work shifts at the two ports, according to the summaries.

NAGASAKI, Japan - On my first trip to Nagasaki, just out of college, I knew what most of the world knows: An atomic bomb fell here on Aug. 9, 1945, bringing World War II to a close. It wasn't until my second visit, more than 20 years later on a guidebook assignment, that I realized how much I had missed. Although the A-bomb is rightfully front and center for overseas visitors, the Japanese concept of the city is very different. As Japan's westernmost major port, it was the nation's first landing spot for Catholic missionaries and martyrs; red-bearded, waistcoated, fancy-hatted traders; and exotic foods borne by trade winds.

Two truck drivers have sued one of Southern California's largest trucking companies, alleging they were denied breaks, lunch hours and overtime because they were treated as independent contractors rather than employees of Harbor Express Inc. The lawsuit filed this week is one of several complaints lodged against trucking companies in recent years and is seeking class-action status. Lawyers for the plaintiffs said it could affect as many as 400 truck drivers who worked for the Wilmington-based company since May 2009.

The strike at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach entered its second week Monday. The strike has pitted the 800-member International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 63 Office Clerical Unit against some of the world's biggest shipping lines and terminal operators. It has shut down 10 of the 14 cargo container terminals at the nation's busiest seaport complex. Join us for a live video chat at 3 p.m. on the economic impact of the strike and prospects for resolution. Assistant business editor Nancy Rivera Brooks will be talking with Art Wong, a spokesman for the Port of Long Beach.

The nation's busiest seaport complex had its best January since the recession, moving more cargo containers in that month than all but eight other U.S. ports usually move in an entire year. The trade numbers from San Pedro Harbor also showed the increasing importance of exports at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which rank first and second in the U.S. for container cargo. As recently as five years ago, imports outnumbered exports by more than 3 to 1. But in January, the gap had shrunk to a little more than 2 to 1. There hasn't been a sharp decrease in the U.S. trade deficit, but Los Angeles and Long Beach have done well in luring more customers who ship goods overseas, according to economist Paul Bingham.

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are so busy that they move more cargo than the next five largest U.S. ports combined. They're so efficient that they process more international trade in one month than most North American harbors handle in an entire year. Now the friendly rivals are leading the way into unexpected waters: attracting, testing and funding cutting-edge technology to reduce emissions and fuel consumption at the ports. Even as their revenues declined and their budgets shrank in the worst global recession in more than 60 years, the twin ports have become accidental venture capitalists of sorts in the world of green technology.

Members of a small clerks union have voted down a proposed contract, which raises the prospect of restarting the strike that paralyzed the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach for eight days late last year. Bargaining units of the 800-member International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 63 Office Clerical Unit failed to ratify the tentative contract with harbor employers in voting that ended this week. The union and employers aren't talking about why some members went thumbs down on a settlement, which was celebrated by both sides at its Dec. 4 unveiling and initially appeared headed toward easy ratification.

The small band of strikers that has effectively shut down the nation's busiest shipping complex forced two huge cargo ships to head for other ports Thursday and kept at least three others away, hobbling an economic powerhouse in Southern California. The disruption is costing an estimated $1 billion a day at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, on which some 600,000 truckers, dockworkers, trading companies and others depend for their livelihoods. "The longer it goes, the more the impacts increase," said Paul Bingham, an economist with infrastructure consulting firm CDM Smith.

On a recent weekday morning, Daniel Pondella strode along a century-old stretch of concrete pylons and shabby warehouses in San Pedro. As kelp swayed in the waves and terns circled overheard, Pondella recalled an elementary school field trip he took 40 years ago to this gritty wharf known as City Dock 1: "That was the day I decided to become a marine biologist. " Now, Pondella is involved in transforming the wharf into a marine research center at the heart of the Port of Los Angeles, the nation's busiest.

WASHINGTON--The Senate approved a bill Wednesday that would increase funding for port projects in Los Angeles and elsewhere, shore up defenses against Sandy-like superstorms and study ways to better prepare the country for more extreme weather events. In California, the bill holds the promise of millions of additional dollars for the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which have long complained that they receive only pennies back for every dollar raised by a tax on cargo. The $12-billion bill, approved 83 to 14 in a rare bipartisan vote, would also authorize flood protection projects and coastal restoration in such places as the Gulf Coast.

The Long Beach City Council has authorized a lawsuit to challenge plans by Los Angeles to build a rail yard in the harbor that could impact low-income neighborhoods in West Long Beach. Council members voted 9 to 0 Tuesday to sue over the Southern California International Gateway -- a 153-acre project in the Port of Los Angeles capable of handling more than 8,000 trucks a day and the equivalent of 2.8 million 20-foot shipping containers annually. Long Beach officials have been concerned the project does not provide enough measures to reduce adverse environmental impacts on nearby homes, schools, day-care centers and housing for homeless veterans.

Two truck drivers have sued one of Southern California's largest trucking companies, alleging they were denied breaks, lunch hours and overtime because they were treated as independent contractors rather than employees of Harbor Express Inc. The lawsuit filed this week is one of several complaints lodged against trucking companies in recent years and is seeking class-action status. Lawyers for the plaintiffs said it could affect as many as 400 truck drivers who worked for the Wilmington-based company since May 2009.

The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday approved a controversial rail yard near the Port of Los Angeles, setting the stage for possible court challenges, alleging violations of environmental and civil rights laws. The proposal to build a staging center for trains hauling freight from the largest harbor complex in the nation has raised questions about environmental justice, particularly for nearby minority and working-class neighborhoods of west Long Beach, which could be affected by the project.

The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday morning will consider approving a controversial rail yard in the harbor that could improve the shipment of cargo but adversely affect nearby schools, parks and low-income communities. The proposal to build a staging center for trains hauling freight from the largest harbor complex in the nation has raised questions about environmental justice, particularly for the adjacent poor and working-class neighborhoods of west Long Beach. The planned Southern California International Gateway would be built by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Co. in Wilmington next to the Terminal Island Freeway, also known as California 103, between Sepulveda Boulevard and California 1 and east of Alameda Street.

It would appear that a passenger is a captive to the cruise line for the tours offered in the various Alaskan ports. The ship line or tour concessionaire on board do not make a realistic attempt to secure reasonable land or air tours for passengers. The cost in some instances is prohibitive. In most of the Alaskan ports, such as Homer, Valdez, Sitka and Ketchikan, almost all of the tours can be done alone or on foot. The towns are so small that a bus tour seems ridiculous. The good informational guide published by Cunard/NAC and a good pair of shoes are more than sufficient.

The National Retail Federation is applauding a tentative contract agreement between the union that represents 14 East Coast and Gulf coast seaports and an alliance of shipping lines, terminal operators and port associations. The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service announced late Friday night that a deal had been reached between the International Longshoremens Assn. and the U.S. Maritime Alliance. Terms of the deal were not disclosed because of the sensitive nature of the talks, said George H. Cohen, director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.

California ports are going green. In a speech at the 28th World Ports Conference on Tuesday, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said the city's port is at the forefront of pushing for clean energy alternatives and reducing pollution. The conference, which kicked off Tuesday in Los Angeles, attracted port officials from around the world to discuss issues such as climate change, piracy and other problems affecting ships and the ports where they dock. Greening ports was at the top of many minds.