Congestion surges at Seattle port due to labour action

Ongoing action at ports on the US West Coast in recent weeks by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) saw cargo operations being brought to halt in Seattle on 9 June with workers sent home and a closure of the port on 10 June.

“Seattle is clearly affected by the strike,” said GateHouse Maritime CTO Thomas Donslund in reply to a query from Seatrade Maritime News.

“Normally, container ships lie in port for approximately one day in Seattle and it has increased sharply since the strike began and until June 10, when it has peaked with an average port time of eight,” he said.

Gatehouse Maritime collects AIS-data from some 300,000 vessels providing analysis for ocean visibility to the supply chain for customers across a range of industries.

Today, 12 June has seen a reduction in waiting times at the US northwest coast port dropping to an average of 6.5 days after two vessels left port.

The number of ships in the Port of Seattle is normally around three to four and this number peaked at eight during the shut down, and still remains at eight, which GateHouse Maritime said showed the situation had not returned to normal yet.

“It is also worth noting that not a single ship left Seattle between June 1 and June 5, and only one ship between June 5 and June 8. There are hardly any containers coming out of the port of Seattle and it doesn't seem to have improved yet,” the company said.

The Port of Seattle is just one of a number of US West Coast ports that have been hit by work slowdowns from the ILWU as negotiations for a new labour contract with the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) have dragged on for over a year.

The previous contract between longshoremen and the ports expired on 1 July 2022, and negotiations on a potential new deal have dragged on since 10 May 2022 with few signs of progress.

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