The long-anticipated US East Coast and Gulf Coast port strike is set to take effect tomorrow, Tuesday, October 1st, 2024. The union representing 85,000 dockworkers from Maine to Texas announced on Sunday, September 29th that the strike will begin at 12:01 AM on October 1st.

“The United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) refuses to address a half-century of wage subjugation where ocean carriers’ profits skyrocketed from millions to mega-billion dollars, while ILA longshore wages remained flat,” the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) said in a statement. It remains to be seen if there will be government intervention to resolve the situation. As it stands at this moment, there will not be, with President Joe Biden telling reporters earlier on Sunday that he would not intervene to prevent the strike.

Ocean carriers have already stopped accepting export containers transiting through these ports, and, as of tomorrow, import containers will no longer be available for pickup. Carriers have also introduced port congestion-related surcharges, which vary by carrier. Some carriers are also invoking force majeure clauses, which relieves parties from their contractual obligations due to uncontrollable events.

RIM is here to help you navigate this situation based on your business needs. Our Air Freight Team is on standby and available 24/7 should you have the need to expedite any shipments. Please reach out to your RIM representative for more information and support. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and will keep you updated on any developments.