Satellite images show massive congestion at the Port of Long Beach this year compared to 2020 and 2019

Erin SnodgrassOct 19, 2021, 09:01 IST

A side by side comparison of ship congestion off the Port of Long Beach in 2019 and 2021.Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite imagery

The Port of Long Beach is home to a backlog of ships off the coast amid congestion troubles.
Satellite images show ships waiting to unload amid a spike in demand for consumer goods.

America's second-busiest port, the Port of Long Beach, is currently home to a backlog of ships waiting off the coast as congestion troubles continue to plague the California container port and its sister, the largest port in the country, in Los Angeles.

The site is coming off a record-breaking month of traffic as the entire industry reckons with logjams spurred by rising demand for consumer goods.

Last week, the ship-tracking website Marine Traffic recorded more than 50 container ships idling outside Long Beach and the adjoining Port of Los Angeles.

Satellite imagery from the scene paints a picture of the growing bottleneck compared to years past.

Ships off the coast of Long Beach are waiting days, and sometimes weeks to unload cargo due to a slowdown of the entire shipping cycle.

The ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles handle the majority of cargo coming from China, according to BBC News, which means once the congestion starts, it worsens quickly.

Congestion troubles at ports around the world are expected to continue into the new year. But it wasn't always this backed up.

Satellite images from October 2019 show minimal container congestion before the pandemic at the port two years ago.

An overhead shot off the the coast of Long Beach on October 11, 2019. Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite imagery

A shot from September 2020 similarly shows little ship traffic off the coast of Long Beach.

Satellite image from September 2020 shows little congestion at the Port of Long Beach. Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite imagery

But the same shot taken in October of this year shows just how many ships are stuck in the logjam.

Satellite image of the Port of Long Beach taken in October 2021 shows heavy ship congestion. Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite imagery

The White House has created a task force to try and address the bottlenecks, but traffic is expected to persist for the foreseeable future.

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