Update: 13.06.2023

After news about operations returning to normal at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) published an update claiming that "the ILWU resumed its past practice of withholding lashers from terminals at the nation’s largest port complex, resulting in vessels having to miss their scheduled departures."

The PMA statement issued yesterday, 12 June, added the union "did not fill orders for labour from several terminal operators despite the fact they were placed properly and on time." The news comes days after the closure of several shifts at the Port of Seattle due to a slowdown in operations.

According to the PMA, the disruptive actions by union members have been going on "for months". These practices have been leading to major supply chain bottlenecks, "leaving ships and the American exports they carry sitting idle at the docks."

Observers highlighted that the tension between the ILWU and the PMA increased over the weekend. In the meantime, the US Administration has been intensifying talks with the two parties to help reach a deal.

The most recent seaexplorer data show that the number of anchored vessels outside the ports of LA-LB has increased significantly over the past few days. There are currently 10 vessels anchored outside the port complex with an estimated blocked capacity of nearly 79,000 TEU. However, the 7-day average vessel waiting time remained relatively stable throughout the disruption period, ranging from 1.56 to 1.80 days.

Original article: 09.06.2023

While most port terminals along the West Coast are open and operational, local news reported that a backlog of vessels began to form outside the ports. A report by CNBC noted, "At the APL Terminals in LA, docked vessels are now occupying space for as many as nine days."

Kuehne+Nagel received information from the Port of Oakland yesterday confirming that terminals are operational. However, the latest gate schedules from Seattle Port show most of its terminals will be closed for today's day shift. In addition, operations at the Pierce County Terminal (PCT) in Tacoma Port will be limited, 9 June.

During an interview with the media, Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, said anchorage issues at the port are being cleared, but labour shortages are leading to "cargos not moving as smoothly or quickly as we would like." He also assured the public that US officials are taking action to keep the progress of labour talks moving.

Failed negotiations over higher pay were reportedly one of the key drivers of the recent events. However, the labour union ILWU announced earlier this week that it remains committed to resuming talks with the Pacific Maritime Association. During a live session carried out yesterday, Kuehne+Nagel's Vice President of Strategic Development, Bill Rooney, highlighted, "I still think there will not be a coast-wide labour action, and accordingly, a coast-wide shutdown. This is based on two elements, the renewed political pressure and the fact that they already lost a lot of business.”