Shippers looking for scarce sea containers can probably find plenty of them offshore near Southern California’s big ports. A flotilla of cargo ships has been forming near the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, as bottlenecks pile up. As inbound container volume surges, freight terminals and warehouse operations are also coping with a surge in Covid-19 cases that has hit California and slowed down many cargo handling operations.
Two major railroad workers unions have asked the Department of Homeland Security to beef up security on Amtrak and other passenger lines, including by creating a no-ride list akin to the no-fly list that prevents people identified as risks from boarding planes. The unions say tougher security measures are needed in light of last week’s riot at the U.S. Capitol because people who took part in the insurrection and were subsequently placed on the no-fly list may turn to rail travel instead.
