The number of container ships waiting to enter America's largest trans-Pacific trade gateway has surged, with the average wait time exceeding eight days, according to recent news.  

As of late Friday, 55 ships were moored or idled waiting to be unloaded at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif., up from 40 two weeks ago, according to officials monitoring maritime traffic in SAN Pedro Bay. The average wait time for ships rose to 8.5 days from 7.6 days at the end of August, according to the Port of Los Angeles.  

Los Angeles officials have exhausted their designated anchorage to deal with the overflow and have a record 17 boats in the so-called drift zone. A drift zone is an area in shallow water waiting to be anchored safely during heavy traffic.  

Ships in line have a total capacity of 375,000 20-foot containers, according to data compiled by the Southern California Marine Exchange. That's about equal to the average number of incoming containers handled in a month at the port of Los Angeles before the pandemic.  

Port congestion is expected to continue until 2022, according to a UBS research note. Massive congestion at ports leads to queuing and delayed shipping, crowding out and occupying a large amount of shipping capacity on major trade routes, and seriously dragging down shipping efficiency.  

In addition, supply disruptions have prompted larger manufacturers and retailers to consider strengthening supply chains by stocking up, double-sourcing or even bringing production back home. But for many small companies, supply disruptions are enough to put them out of business.