Stalled ships, stressed crews: Covid buying boom overwhelms LA ports

Workers struggle to keep up with surge in imports brought on by a pandemic-induced buying boom while parts of their workforce are recovering from the coronavirus

There were 48 ships laden with goods destined for store shelves across the United States sitting at anchor in southern California's San Pedro Bay on Wednesday.

In normal times, these massive cargo ships would have made their way from factories in China and other Asian nations directly to a dock at the ports of Los Angeles or Long Beach, the busiest seaport complex in the US.