JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Ports across the country are cluttered. Ships are parked in the water while crews are waiting to unload, and containers are piled up with nowhere to go.
Because of this the White House recently announced a potential solution. Three of the largest United States goods carriers are expected to move forward toward working 24/7. The amendment would fix the backlog and apply to ports in Southern California.
The backup has doubled the time it takes for products to get from Asia to the U.S. Experts said the issue has been sparked by worker shortages and COVID outbreaks.
Florida could take some of the burden seaports have experienced on the West Coast. Officials said the state's 15 ports are open for business. A solution the Florida Ports Council believes can be long-term.
Cargo containers hold valuables and essentials. It holds the potential items one would buy for Christmas such as sneakers, bicycles and toys.
Mike Rubin, who is the President of the Florida Ports Council, said ships can not handle traveling to California ports. Florida, however, does not have heavy traffic at its ports.
He suggested crews can reroute to the Sunshine State and it would cost less for businesses to drop off inventory.
"We can provide that Playstation by Christmas if they start using our seaports," Rubin explained. "Can we get everybody a Playstation? I don't know, but certainly, I think we are a solution to some short-term problems."
Rubin said utilizing Florida's seaports would boost the state's economy and bring jobs to the First Coast.
Hapag Llyod, a European-US container service, recently rerouted its inventory to Jax Port. The service will last for eight months and bring in an estimate of 1,000 containers.