Triple 14 — Wednesday, September 09, 2026

TL;DR — the day in port + freight. US port congestion is currently centered on inland rail and equipment constraints rather than vessel queues, with Los Angeles/Long Beach experiencing rising dwell times despite zero ships waiting at anchor [1], while carriers adjust transpacific schedules to bypass severe congestion at Chinese origin ports caused by recent typhoons [2][3].

Port snapshot — dwell, backups, chassis at LA/LB, NY/NJ, Savannah, Houston. At the Los Angeles–Long Beach port complex, container dwell times increased during July, with rail-destined containers averaging 6.34 days of dwell, up from 5.43 days in June, while local truck containers averaged 3.03 days, up from 2.89 days [2]. Despite these inland delays, the import-friction read at LA/Long Beach is "Flowing" as of August 25, 2026, with zero ships awaiting berth [1]. However, chassis availability and overall equipment flow are being impacted by longer container cycles, and reduced rail car availability is delaying inland destinations, particularly Midwest rail markets [4]. The Port of Los Angeles processed 960,464 TEUs in July, its second-busiest July on record [2]. The import-friction read at New York/New Jersey is also "Flowing" as of June 1, 2026, with a truck planning-time index of 2.37 [1]. Savannah is showing "Some pressure" as of August 25, 2026 [1]. No material development regarding dwell times, backups, or chassis availability for Houston is available in the fetched sources this cycle.

Service advisories — weather, labor, rail connections. The primary service disruptions stem from severe congestion at Chinese origin ports following multiple typhoons, including Typhoon Saudel, which made landfall around August 26 [3]. Ningbo was closed for 78 hours and Shanghai terminals faced closures of 48 to 54 hours, leading to average vessel waiting times at Shanghai of 5.46 days as of September 4 [3]. In response, ocean carriers are modifying schedules; an August 28 advisory noted that Shanghai calls would be temporarily removed from 11 sailings on two Asia–U.S. East Coast services between late August and October 9, with affected cargo moving through Busan [2]. Additionally, Shanghai is being replaced by Ningbo on selected sailings serving Los Angeles and Oakland [2]. On the US side, elevated congestion at LA/LB is expected to continue through the peak shipping season, with rail and terminal operations likely remaining under pressure through August and September before potentially improving in October [4].

Regulatory — port authority rulings, demurrage rules, tariffs. The current inland bottlenecks at LA/LB are increasing exposure to demurrage, storage, and per diem charges for shippers due to longer rail dwell times and transit variability [4]. To mitigate this, shippers are advised to complete customs clearance and delivery instructions prior to vessel arrival and monitor containers closely to avoid unnecessary storage fees [4]. No material development regarding new port authority rulings or tariff changes is available in the fetched sources this cycle.

Signals worth watching — what to track next. Shippers should monitor the ongoing schedule recovery adjustments by carriers, particularly the temporary omission of Shanghai calls through October 9 and the cascading delays from Chinese port congestion, which could further tighten transpacific capacity [2][3]. Additionally, tracking the inland rail dwell times at LA/LB will be critical; if rail networks recover capacity in October as expected, pressure on chassis availability and demurrage exposure may ease [4]. The "Some pressure" status at Savannah also warrants attention for potential shifts in routing if East Coast gateways experience further delays [1].

Sources 1. The Dwell, "US port congestion & dwell time (September 2026)", https://the-dwell.com/stats 2. Worldwide Logistics Group, "U.S. Import Flows Face Pressure as Rail Dwell Rises and Transpacific Capacity Tightens", https://worldwidelogisticsltd.com/2026/09/01/us-port-congestion/ 3. Kuehne+Nagel, "China port congestion forces carrier schedule changes as vessel delays mount", https://mykn.kuehne-nagel.com/news/article/china-port-congestion-forces-carrier-schedule 4. Laufer Group International, "Client Advisory 07.30.26: Increasing Port & Rail Congestion at Los Angeles and Long Beach", https://lgi.laufer.com/insights/client-advisory-07-30-26-increasing-port-rail-congestion-at-los-angeles-and-long-beach/