Several U.S. ports in the eastern United States and the Gulf of Mexico are developing contingency plans, including extending dock hours and implementing operational deadlines, ahead of a possible strike by dock workers on October 1. As these plans take off, the International Wharf Workers Association (ILA) may increasingly be unable to reach an agreement with the United States Maritime Union (USMX) on a new master contract covering dock workers in the Eastern and Gulf of Mexico. ILA President Harold Daggett said the union would not agree to an extension once the current contract expires on Monday, September 30.
Port of Virginia will cease cargo operations on September 30, with the last trains scheduled for delivery at 8 a.m., according to port officials. In addition, all incoming truck doors will be closed at noon. The port said in a statement that it strongly encouraged the use of the Truck Driver Reservation System (TRS) on September 30. On September 30, sea operations will cease at 1pm, and ships will be required to depart, and the last train to depart from port will depart. All car transport companies must leave the port at that time; at 6 pm, all other container operations will stop, and the refrigerators will remain in a passable state, but will not be monitored.
The private dock operator of the Virginia Port Authority and the Virginia International Terminal Company will not charge dock containers during the strike. “Once an agreement is reached, the Port of Virginia will implement a resumption of operations plan and safely resume operations of the dock,” the VPA said.
The Port of New Orleans has also posted a similar deadline, but from September 28, the New Orleans Pier has increased its opening hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, with a 1-hour break from noon to 1 p.m. Port officials said that any stoppages caused by the strike would not increase the delay fee. Ship operations will cease at noon on September 30, and rail and gate operations will cease at 4 p.m. at noon on September 30 at the New Orleans docks, which serve Mediterranean Airways, Marsky, and Star Integrated Shipping Services. The port stated that the deadline for receipt of export refrigerated containers is 4 p.m. on September 27, and imported refrigerated containers must depart before 4 p.m. on September 30, unless prior approval is obtained from the Port of New Orleans.
Port Nora's U.S. port terminal serves CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, Seaboard, Evergreen, COSCO, Oriental Overseas (OOCL), and Yang Ming Shipping. The deadline for ship operations has not yet been announced, but the Gateway will operate Ends September 30 at 4pm. Imported coolers must be checked out at the same time, and the customer is responsible for ensuring that export coolers are loaded before September 30.
PORT OFFICIALS SAID IN A STATEMENT THAT IN JACKSONVILLE, THE STRIKE IS EXPECTED TO AFFECT ONE-THIRD OF PORT JACKSONVILLE'S BUSINESS. THE PORT SAID: “THE REMAINING TWO-THIRDS OF JAXPORT'S BUSINESS, INCLUDING PUERTO RICO FREIGHT, WILL CONTINUE AS NORMAL, IN ADDITION, JAXPORT'S 172 DIRECT EMPLOYEES ARE NOT ILA MEMBERS, SO ALL EMPLOYEES DIRECTLY EMPLOYED BY JAXPORT WILL CONTINUE TO WORK, WHICH MEANS ALL OF JAXPORT'S MAIN GATEWAY AND ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTION DEPARTMENTS The door will remain open during normal business hours. Nevertheless, we encourage customers to contact their dock operators as they are responsible for determining operating hours.
The Port of Mobile Container Terminal is managed by APM Terminals, according to the Alabama Port Authority, which is monitoring the potential impact of the Port of Mobile strike. Meanwhile, ports in the southern United States are bracing for another potential impact on operations — the threat of Tropical Storm Helen, which is expected to strengthen and make landfall along Florida's Gulf Coast early Thursday.
