“On average, per this index the U.S. has the worst-performing ports of any country in the world.”
Los Angeles ranks 375th and Savannah 395th on the World Bank index. Rotterdam, one of the most automated ports anywhere, sits at 91st, behind unautomated Charleston and Philadelphia. McKinsey found automation cut labor costs but dropped productivity 7 to 15%, and Auckland scrapped its project after $400 million. The union fight is over a fix that does not fix much.