Hapag-Lloyd is recommending that shippers to reroute cargo from the Port of New York and New Jersey to avoid delays that the carrier said it expects will continue until mid-September.
It was the strongest public statement yet by carriers in response to two months of operational delays that have forced truckers to endure almost-daily waits of up to several hours at New York-New Jersey container terminals.
“Both local and rail cargo are affected,” Hapag-Lloyd told customers. “In efforts to minimize commercial exposure to NY/NJ and restore our service to our customers, we strongly suggest rerouting cargo where possible.”
Hapag-Lloyd recommended using Montreal, Halifax or Norfolk for cargo to and from Europe and the Mediterranean; Halifax or Norfolk for cargo to and from the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, and Norfolk, Baltimore or Savannah for Latin America cargo.
New York-New Jersey’s delays began in early June, when Maher Terminals encountered glitches in a new operating system. Diversions of ship calls to other terminals strained their capacity and created problems with chassis availability.
Hapag-Lloyd, Hyundai Merchant Marine and NYK Line have temporarily rerouted their weekly New York Express service from Maher to New York Container Terminal on Staten Island.
The Journal of Commerce