Global Logistics Update - Strikes & Weather

Montreal – Yesterday Montreal longshore workers voted in favor of granting their union the authority to call a strike if it chooses to do so. And just this morning the Maritime Employers Association (MEA) received a notice from the Port of Montreal Longshoremen's Union announcing a three-day strike at the Viau and Maisonneuve container terminals at the Port of Montreal. This strike notice is effective from Monday, September 30, at 7 am, to Thursday, October 3, at 6:59 am. These pressure tactics will result in the suspension of mooring services normally provided by longshoremen and cargo handling at Termont terminals (Maisonneuve and Viau). Consequently, access to these terminals will be prohibited, and no rail, vessel, or truck services will be provided. Other terminals at the Port of Montreal remain operational. We will continue to provide updates on this situation as they become available.

ILA - The potential for an East Coast ILA strike is getting very real. We are just a few days away from the September 30 contract expiration between the ILA longshoremen union and the management/USMX. Currently, there isn’t any progress or any breakthroughs reported in the negotiations, but this does not mean that there is not work going on behind the scenes. Ocean carriers are limiting certain types of bookings and East Coast ports have just announced operational contingency plans in case of strike action. Additionally, most ocean carriers have preemptively announced surcharges ahead of the anticipated disruption. A full list can be provided upon request.  Ocean carriers are also diverting cargo destinations and discharging cargo to avoid arriving at a port after September 30. Today, we saw the first announcement of Force Majeure by a carrier. We are closely monitoring the developments on this situation and will provide updates accordingly.

Hurricane Helene – The hurricane hit ground yesterday and is now making its way through Georgia bringing with it heavy rains and strong winds. Ports in the storm’s path have issued various operational updates. Jacksonville port remains in condition Zulu which prohibits vessel movements, but main gates are still open and operational. The Port of Savannah will open gate operations at 1pm today. The Port of Charleston is operating normally. We will continue to monitor the storm’s path and provide updates as applicable.

North Europe - In Hamburg, the backlog is slowly clearing as the port is reporting only slight delays of around 8 hours at CTA. However, heavy wind and weather are expected in the coming days, which may cause some additional delays.

Out of Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic customers are confronted with delays and backlogs due to the bad weather conditions which has caused flooded streets and railways and cancelled trains. Please contact your freight forwarder if you have cargo directly impacted by these weather events.

At the Port of Rotterdam stormy weather is also causing delays in operations. Some terminals have halted operations entirely. If you have cargo that is being routed through the port, please be aware that it may take additional time to process the containers.

In France, Major Unions decided to call for a strike for October 1^st. This work stoppage would be nationwide impacting public services, schools, transport operations and ports. Both Fos-sur-Mer and Le Havre ports have announced the work stoppage hours below:

Fos-sur-mer: a 4-hour strike on Oct 1^st, from 11am to 3pm

Le Havre: a 4-hour strike on Oct 1^st, from 9:30am to 13:30pm

SOE - The deadline of September 19^th for importer certification has now passed and Organic certificates from foreign suppliers can no longer be processed if the USA importer has not been certified. Many USA importers are awaiting certification as the process has been extremely backlogged to gain inspections and final review. Should you have any questions or concerns on the SOE, please reach out to us at info@wssa.com.

South Africa - The Port of Cape Town continues to face operational delays due to strong winds and the berthed distressed vessel which has been at the port since September 2^nd. Unfortunately, bad weather is expected to continue through the weekend, which will continue to impact and delay operations.

Chile – The Chile-Mendoza pass was open this week, but inclement weather is expected in the coming days which may bring about a closure. Additionally, ocean swells have presented difficulties for vessel operations and sailings, so please plan on additional time if you have cargo departing the region.