Slowdowns and delays this week
Major delays for Los Angeles and Long Beach Port as labor at the ports slowdown. This comes after ILWU job actions disrupts operations on Wednesday. More West Coast Terminals are following suit. This is causing major backlog of vessels and cargo. Half a dozen vessels are unable to depart due to insufficient longshore labor. Vessels are unable to anchor, because there are no lashers, one source says. Negotiations between the ILWU and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) centers around a few key issues, wages, along with automation and worker safety.
The labor situation at the ports was also posing a threat to intermodal rail service in Southern California. Some rails are temporarily shut down due to lack of cargo.
Seattle Ports also shutdown due to decreased crane productivity. Dockworkers were sent home because crane productivity was about 30% of normal. Tacoma was still working even though crane productivity was about 50% of normal, according to a source.
The Port of Oakland was shut for the first shift Wednesday following the death of the longshore worker on Tuesday. A port spokesperson said Oakland was scheduled to reopen for the second shift on Wednesday.
Source: JOC