Port of Long Beach Director Warns Cargo Backlog Is ‘National Crisis’

In a Thursday interview with Yahoo Finance, Mario Cordero, Executive Director of the Port of Long Beach, warned that the cargo backlog at some U.S. ports has become a “national crisis.”

(Watch from 0:34)

"This issue is a national crisis with regard to the supply chain and for that matter a global crisis," Port of Long Beach Exec. Dir. @MarioCorderoLB says about supply chain disruptions. "This is peak season… the root of the problem has been going back to the COVID era." pic.twitter.com/zPqfdPT5Vc

— Yahoo Finance (@YahooFinance) October 14, 2021

A transcript is as follows:

ANCHOR: I want to talk about that backlog as you’re talking about. As we approach the critical holiday season, where more goods are going to be flooded into our ports, your port has been operating around the clock for a few weeks now and the Los Angeles port will be doing the same. When do you think we will start to see some real relief at the ports?

MARIO CORDERO: This issue is a national crisis with regard to the supply chain and for that matter a global crisis. It’s rather complex, but on the other hand, I think we’ll start seeing some easing the container vessel wait time as we move toward the end of the year. This is peak season. The rooot of the problem has been going back to the COVID era we continue to experience in the global shipping community going back to the spring of 2020. […] Even before the crisis, we’ve been talking about the need for a 24/7 mindset, so I’m very appreciative that the president now, given the crisis we have, has given direction for the industry to really move in that direction.