On November 4, local time, major ports on the west coast of Canada, including the Port of Vancouver, Canada's largest container port, and Prince Rupert, the third largest port, were closed due to a workers' strike. And recently, the port of Montreal has just gone on strike. If there are shipments to Canada in the near future, please be aware of the impact of logistics delays.

It is reported that due to the failure of the leaders of the West Coast port union and industry representatives to reach an agreement, the local union organized workers to hold a large-scale strike, and then the container cargo in many ports on the West Coast, including the Port of Vancouver and the Port of Prince Rupert, immediately stopped transportation.

Canadian West Coast ports are important to importers in the U.S. Midwest because they are an important supply chain route for Asian goods to enter the U.S.: large volumes of goods land at Canadian West Coast ports and then enter the U.S. via the U.S.-Canada cross-border railroad.

According to the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, about $800 million worth of trade passes through West Coast ports every day. About 20 percent of U.S. trade passes through Vancouver and Prince Rupert in Canada. Historically, even a strike at a Canadian port for just a few days could have an impact on the U.S. supply chain for months.

On November 5, Maersk's official website issued an early warning about strikes at ports on the west coast of Canada.

Maersk said that the International Wharf and Warehouse Federation (ILWU Local 514) has provided an official 72-hour written notice to launch an industry-wide strike on all BCMEA member terminals, of which Maersk is a member, starting around 8am on Monday, November 4.

Check out the following contingencies for your business in British Columbia:

Vancouver TP1 Services:

The "Maersk Leticia" is currently in operation and completed its operation and departed on Saturday, November 2.

The "Marcos V" will arrive on November 3 and depart on November 6. Unless the negotiations are resolved beforehand, it is likely that it will not work. As soon as the negotiations are resolved and work resumes, "Marcos V" will immediately begin work.

Prince Rupert TP1 Services:

The "Brickell" is currently in operation, completing operations and departing on Saturday, November 2.

The "San Felipe" will arrive on Monday, November 4 and depart on November 6. Operations in San Felipe will be postponed. It will begin work as soon as the negotiations are resolved and work resumes.

Surrey CASUR Services:

The "Seattle Express" will not arrive until November 8. We will keep you informed of the progress of the negotiations and whether they will affect this and other vessels.

Logistics executives are very concerned about the impact of the strike. Last July, the International Docks and Warehouses Union of Canada staged a 13-day strike that cost the national economy hundreds of millions of dollars until the federal government stepped in. This also caused the shipment of goods to the United States to take at least 3 months to return to normal. At the same time, delays for rail containers ranged from 39 to 66 days.

Meanwhile, labor dispute strikes continue between employers and workers in Montreal, Canada's second-largest port. In a new statement, the Maritime Employers' Association (MEA) announced that as of 5 November it "has no choice but to continue suspending wage guarantees".

I would like to remind you that the freight forwarders who have recently shipped to Canada should pay attention to the latest situation in time, as there may be delays and impacts caused by strike activities on cargo transportation! Forward to know~