Washington In southern California, the picture has been the
same for weeks: dozens of freighters are stowed in the two largest ports on the
US west coast. Containers are stacked on top of containers, nothing is moving
forward. A cargo ship currently has to wait an average of eleven days in the
port of Los Angeles. Before that, there is usually no chance that the goods
will be unloaded and transported on.
On Thursday night, US President Joe Biden took unusual
measures to resolve this. “Traditionally, our ports are only open during the
week, Monday through Friday, and are usually closed at night and on weekends,”
said Biden. After negotiations by his government with trade unions, operators
and freight forwarders, this is now changing. "By opening seven days a
week, at night and on weekends, the Port of Los Angeles will be open for more
than 60 additional hours a week."
The mass blockade and the intervention of the president are
symptoms of the global supply chain crisis, which is also becoming more and
more noticeable in the USA . The tense situation is becoming a serious problem
for the world's largest growth engine: just this week , the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) lowered its growth forecast for the USA by one percentage
point - more than any other G7 country.
Although the economy is still expected to grow by an
impressive six percentage points this year, the IMF counts “interruptions in
supply chains and a weaker consumer climate” as one of the greatest risk
factors.
SUBJECTS OF
THE ARTICLE
"The goods do
not move by themselves," warned US President Joe Biden . In addition to
the round-the-clock opening of the port in LA, he also called for more
involvement from private companies. “We have to get them to their destination
faster and more reliably.” A handful of large department stores, including
Target and Home Depot , agreed to increase working hours and staff.
"But that can only be a first step," urged Biden
and started an appeal for personal initiative. "As many as possible from
the private sector must follow this example."
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