SIMIC

All container terminals at the Port of Los Angeles were again reopened and operating after days of shuttered operations up and down the US west coast due to work stoppages by dockers who have been working without a contract for nearly a year, reports DC Velocity of North Attleboro, Massachusetts.

Despite the apparent return to normal operations for maritime imports and exports, US retail groups have been calling on the White House to mediate the sputtering talks between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA).



Retailers said their concern is that an extended work stoppage could lead to increased yard congestion at the ports, freezing the flow of goods just before the critical back-to-school and winter peak retail shipping seasons begin.



That scenario is a valid concern, according to Judah Levine, head of research at Freightos, a Hong Kong-based freight booking platform. “The longer the strike, the larger the backlog, the longer it will take to clear and restore normal levels of operations once labour fully resumes," said Mr Levine.