by Manal Barakat, SeaNewsEditor
Kuehne+Nagel reports that longshore workers at the Port of Montreal will go on a 24-hour strike on Sunday, 27 October.
The full-day strike will start at 06:59 local time and is expected to bring port operations to a halt.
Earlier this month, workers walked out for three days at the port, and later, the union banned overtime hours indefinitely.
The government's attempts to intervene and establish a 90-day strike freeze failed after the ministry's proposal for mediation was rejected.
Despite several months of negotiations, the union and the Maritime Employers Association (MEA) are yet to reach an agreement to cover the workers' contracts, which expired on 31 December 2023.
In addition to the industrial action, vessels accessing Montreal Port have also been experiencing limitations due to low water levels in the region.
The Canadian Coast Guards (CCG) updated their water levels forecast for the St. Lawrence Channel, a key waterway for the Port of Montreal.
Due to the low precipitation in the region, the CCG expects water levels to remain relatively low for the next few weeks.
Until mid-November, levels are expected to remain below the reference point typically used to measure water depths and tidal heights.
Most major container carriers, including MSC, Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk, introduced a Low Water Surcharge earlier this month, which is expected to remain until water levels improve.
**Chart Datum (CD) is a reference level used in nautical charts to measure water depths and tidal heights. It is typically the lowest tide level predicted under average meteorological conditions.
