Strike Activity - USWC and France

USWC: In the latest news, the largest ILWU local on the West Coast has taken strike action to cease labor at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which has resulted in widespread worker shortages. Without the appropriate workforce, cargo handling at LA/LB terminals is at a stand-still and has been since yesterday afternoon. With LA/LB being the largest gateway for maritime trade within the United States, this work stoppage could create significant delays and backlog. During a time of ongoing contract negotiations, we hope that the parties can come to swift resolution so the terminals can resume normal operations. 

France: Across the Atlantic, political upheaval continues in France, with more strikes being called for next week.  

• Fos sur mer port will endure strikes every day during a four hour period and on Thursday, April 13th, the port will be closed all day as a designated national strike day .
• Le Havre port has not confirmed yet, but we can expect the same daily four hour strike period, and port closure on Thursday, April 13th. 

Once again, we are working on alternative solutions through other European ports with diversion rates in place to keep cargo flowing.