The ships at California's ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles are being moved further offshore due to the winter weather.
The ships waiting to dock at the US's busiest port complex are forced to move further from the coast for safety because of high winds and choppy seas.
Around 30 ships sat off the coast of Southern California waiting to unload their cargo, while nearly 60 more stayed in waters further out to sea, according to the Wall Street Journal. Some ships have reduced their speed in order to reduce wait times.
The ships waiting to dock off California's coast are complying with a new voluntary queuing system to improve safety conditions and air quality around Southern California's ports while also increasing the efficiency of the ports, according to a statement from Pacific Maritime Association, Pacific Merchant Marine Shipping Association, and Marine Exchange
"This system delivers a pragmatic solution through order and predictability that will reduce the number of ships idling off the coast in the coming months, improve safety, and support the efficient movement of container-based goods," the president said in the statement.
Depending on the direction they are going, the ships are required to stay between 50 and 150 miles off of the coast of California and Mexico. The change hopes to reduce the historic supply chain congestion that continues to slow trade, according to the statement.
Grace Kay reported that empty shipping containers are adding to the congestion.
Supply-chain workers are more difficult to move goods efficiently due to the large amount of empty containers that are filling nearby streets and yards.
According to Insider, empty shipping containers are an additional hurdle for ports and warehouses that are running out of space.
The Southern California ports have been struggling to get companies to pick up their goods, while at the same time carriers have faced difficulty returning empty containers.
