US port congestion hits cotton shipments

New York

US MERCHANTS face delays of as much as a week to ship cotton from major West Coast ports, threatening exports to China, the world's largest textile market, ahead of a key Chinese deadline at month's end for imports to arrive.

Congestion has plagued West Coast ports for months, including Los Angeles and Long Beach, which are the two busiest container ports in the United States and together make up the top hub for US cotton exports. The delays result from shortages of key equipment and an increase in container sizes, and are happening as labour negotiations drag on at the ports.