Strike action at ports on the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts ended on Thursday, after a new wage agreement was reached – but a backlog of more than 40 ships waiting to offload cargo means the pain is not yet over.
The strike lasted three days, and at 5:00 am ET on Friday, 44 ships were queuing to enter affected ports; more than 120 were en route.
Peter Sand, Chief Analyst at Xeneta, said: “Closing all ports on the U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast – even for just three days – comes with severe consequences. We must now wait to see how quickly the returning workers are able and willing to deal with the huge backlog of ships waiting to offload thousands of containers carrying billions of dollars of goods.”
Sand believes the ripple effect of the strike will spread across global supply chains in the weeks to come.
Read more in an article from the American Journal of Transportation.