Off the coast of scenic Huntington Beach, California a fleet of commercial ships are stuck waiting at anchor or drifting as oil came to the ocean’s surface. Coast Guard Capt. Rebecca Ore said that a group of divers and a remote-operated vehicle found that around 4,000 feet of the nearly 18 miles of pipeline was laterally displaced by 105 feet. Upon further research, a 13-inch slit was found in the pipeline, “which was the likely source of the release of oil.” The Los Angeles Times reported last week that the Coast Guard was trying to determine if a large commercial ship set anchor in the wrong place — and damaged the pipeline.

The ships are given specific coordinates that they can drop their anchors in order to make sure it is a safe location. Luckily, the spill is not seen to be effecting cargo operations. “While some vessels waiting to come into San Pedro Bay may need to be cleaned, Port of Los Angeles operations and arrivals have not been impacted,” According to the Port of Los Angeles.

Pandemic-sparked logjams have seen many large container vessels stationed offshore as they wait for a approval to go to port. These ports are plagued by backlogs as COVID-19 and other issues slow the global supply chain. Fortunately, this spill does not seem like it will have a large impact on the supply chain, but environmental and economic outcomes have yet to be seen.

Today, it seems that there is always something that is having a huge impact on global supply chain, but one thing operators can control is their transportation management system (TMS). A reliable, flexible and configurable TMS is a must in order to get through these trying times. An operating system that is catered to every need can greatly improve productivity and in result greatly boost profitability. Intellect Technologies offers fully customizable software solutions for all stages of the global supply chain.

Intellect Technologies offers many stand-alone software solutions, all cloud-based platforms, API/EDI enabled. Contact us today to receive one on one consultation!