by Manal Barakat, SeaNewsEditor
On Friday, the Port of Montreal reported restoring the port's operations’ efficiency and fluidity to pre-strikes levels.
The port said that “operations were able to quickly resume their normal pace” due to collaboration with its partners.
According to the latest update, 14,834 containers were on the ground at the port’s terminals on 6 December. Meanwhile, 12 vessels were expected to arrive before 14 December.
Seaexplorer data show that the port's 7-day average vessel waiting time fluctuated in the past few weeks. Today’s average dropped to 1.3 days after reaching a peak of 4.5 during the past month.
Kuehne+Nagel further reports that container carriers MSC and CMA CGM will suspend the Port Congestion Surcharge (PCS) as of 1 January 2025. Carriers had introduced the PCS last month due to a backlog of containers caused by recent strikes.
After the government interfered to end the work stoppages that impacted major ports in Canada in mid-November, there were no reports about progress in labour negotiations.
However, the Port of Montreal Longshoremen’s Union (CUPE 375) and the Maritime Employers Association (MEA) have agreed to enter a 90-day mediation process.
