Halifax’s Canadian east coast gateway – and, by extension, port operator PSA which runs its two container terminals – has emerged as the main winner from the three-day ILA stoppage on the US East and Gulf coasts.
Halifax
The 14,000 teu ONE Swan, deployed on THE Alliance’s Asia-US east coast EC5 service, routed via the Cape of Good Hope, skipped calls at Charleston and New York, “heading straight to Halifax with only a seven-day delay, and is currently sailing back to Singapore”.
Additionally, the MSC Sagitta III, on MSC’s Canada Gulf Bridge, made an inducement call at Halifax on 2 October, while the 7,900 teu Zim Scorpio skipped Boston and called at Halifax “to maintain its on-time performance departing North America with only a seven-day delay”.
However, the relatively short-lived industrial action meant forthcoming diversions to Halifax have been canceled, Mr. Grill writes.
“MSC had scheduled two vessels, Epaminondas and MSC Antonia, for extra-loader calls at Halifax, possibly anticipating increased cargo from the US east coast, but these calls were pulled as soon as the strike ended.
The 6,700 teu Epaminondas have been rescheduled to call New York, Norfolk, Boston, and Savannah as an extra loader. In comparison, the 7,000 teu MSC Antonia is set to be deployed to MSC’s Europe-South America east coast NWC to SAEC string I service operated in cooperation with Hapag-Lloyd.”
Planned diversions to Mexican ports were also limited by the quick end to the strike, Mr Grill notes.
While clearing congestion at the east coast – the southern part of which was also hit by Hurricane Milton – continues, he also notes that many vessels currently en route have slowed speed to delay arrival.
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Source: The Loadstar
