The international intermodal supply chain is experiencing significant impacts due to the record high volume of imports into the U.S. As a result, MSC rail vendor (BNSF) is restricting import rail traffic from the U.S. West Coast ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. This will impact the delivery of on-board or discharged cargoes to Chicago. The suspension began on July 18th and is expected to last for two weeks. This action is similar to the Union Pacific Railroad’s seven-day pause on West Coast rail services into Chicago.
MSC is suspending service from New York to Chicago, Indianapolis, and Cleveland as well. These East Coast restrictions also began on July 18th, but they are expected to last until further notice.
Carriers will handle the cargo at the marine terminals until the rail reopens. These temporary measures may spread to other ramps if the congestion does not improve, and you should expect to see many delays for inbound cargo.
