COURT DENIES SC PORTS APPEAL OF LEATHERMAN RULING
A US appellate court has ruled that the lawsuit filed by the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) against ocean carriers that called the Port of Charleston’s Hugh K. Leatherman terminal was a lawful tactic to preserve work traditionally handled by the union’s members. The US Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals denied the South Carolina State Ports Authority’s (SC Ports) request to overturn a ruling from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that said the ILA’s lawsuit was allowed under its master contract with maritime employers, which gives the union jurisdiction over all container work along the East and Gulf.
WESTERN CANADA PORT OPERATIONS NORMAL AS NEXT UNION CONTRACT VOTE LOOMS
Cargo handling at the Western Canadian ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert was proceeding normally Monday after the longshore union and waterfront employers said in a joint statement, they had reached yet another tentative contract agreement in hopes of ending the uncertainty that has hung over the ports for the past month. Those hopes hang on winning the approval of the rank-and-file of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Canada. Union members have already rejected one tentative agreement put before them last week.
FMC’S DYE OFFERS FIXES FOR CONTAINER FLOW PROBLEMS THROUGH US PORTS
A federal maritime commissioner has unveiled proposals to improve long-standing cargo bottlenecks through US ports, most recently experienced in 2021 and 2022 during the pandemic-driven import surge, which can result in what many shippers believe are unreasonable detention and demurrage costs. The proposals from Federal Maritime Commissioner Rebecca Dye, announced earlier this week, focus on three specific pain points for shippers: empty container return appointments, earliest return dates (ERDs) and container availability. Dye didn’t offer regulations or software solutions, but rather a system of practices that could help sync up some of the timing problems plaguing shippers.
AMPLE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WAREHOUSE SPACE AWAITS MUTED PEAK SEASON
Warehouses and distribution centers in Southern California finally have a surplus of capacity for the first time since the pandemic-driven import rush began three years ago, but it likely won’t be needed given expectations that peak shipping season will be largely non-existent this year. The vacancy rate for those facilities in the Inland Empire about 60 miles east of Los Angeles was 3.4% in the second quarter, according to Cushman & Wakefield’s latest national industrial real estate report. While that was lower than the 4.1% national vacancy rate, it was up from Inland’s rate of 1.9% .
PORT OF OAKLAND TAPS VISIBILITY PROVIDER TO PLUG GAPS IN CONTAINER STATUS
The Port of Oakland on Thursday said it is partnering with visibility vendor Quay Chain to underpin a new data portal the port is building for shippers, forwarders and drayage providers. The partnership will allow the port to use data derived from the technology provider’s Quay Chain Edge Devices (QEDs), hardware set up around port facilities that helps create a private cell signal-based network to plug visibility gaps on container status.
