East Coast ports about to get slammed by a lot more ships

There were 64 container ships waiting off East and Gulf Coast ports on Wednesday morning — and it looks like it’s about to get worse.

The number of liner services calling in East Coast ports from Asia will surge to a new record high in the coming months as more cargo is diverted away from the Pacific gateway in Los Angeles/Long Beach, where the ship queue has fallen to 42.

The potential result: escalating vessel backlogs along the East Coast and deteriorating service for importers.