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Gulf Coast
ILA readiness to strike highest since 2012
A FreightWaves article on Tuesday discussed the circumstances leading to the International Longshoremen’s Association’s (ILA) last multicoast strike in 1977. We noted how the ILA — which represents dockworkers at ports along the East and Gulf Coasts — is one of the less strike-prone unions in the industry.
That the ILA tends to favor timely resolutions over walkouts is all the more obvious when it is compared to the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), which represents...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ila-readiness-to-strike-highest-since-2012
Half a century later, ILA returns to strike mode
The threat of a multicoast strike by the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) could soon become a reality.
The current labor contract between the ILA and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) expires at the end of September, with the ILA maintaining that it will not accept any extension of the contract nor any potential mediation by the federal government.
In other words, the ILA is set to swap pallet jacks for picket signs come Oct. 1.
The ILA represents roughly 70,000 dockworkers...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/half-a-century-later-ila-returns-to-strike-mode
Tropical storm warning issued as Texas braces for flash flooding
The first tropical storm warning of the 2024 hurricane season was issued Tuesday, as South Texas prepared for possible heavy rain and flooding across the region Wednesday and Thursday.
The storm was developing over the Gulf of Mexico and was expected to reach land as a potential tropical cyclone impacting Mexico and Texas over the next several days, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
“The National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on Potential Tropical Cyclone One, located...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/tropical-storm-warning-issued-as-texas-braces-for-flash-flooding
Mississippi River shipping faces potential crisis for third straight year
Shipping along the Mississippi River could prove to be a massive headache in 2024, per a recent report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
An unusually warm and dry winter — which allowed the Upper Mississippi River shipping season to begin earlier than usual this year — might herald drought conditions in key areas of the Mississippi River Basin over the coming months.
“Of growing concern will be the potentially low flows on the Mississippi River this summer into fall due to...
Threat of strike looms large over East, Gulf Coast ports
There’s an increasing abundance of skittishness surrounding the future of East and Gulf Coast ports.
The labor contract between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) is set to expire at the end of September. The ILA represents some 70,000 dockworkers, while the USMX represents employers at 36 coastal ports — including three of the U.S.’s five busiest ports: the Port of New York and New Jersey, the Port of Savannah, Georgia, and the Port of...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/threat-of-strike-looms-large-over-east-gulf-coast-ports
West Coast leads latest surge in US container imports
The start of 2024 is bringing with it significant growth in volumes at top U.S. ports.
January witnessed a 9.2% year-over-year increase in inbound containers. This rise represents the latest reading in four consecutive months of growth, a beacon of positive momentum after a challenging period dominated by the post-pandemic downturn.
“We are now completely back to year over year changes being driven by underlying economic activity, as we are past the periods where such changes were driven by...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/west-coast-ports-leads-latest-surge-in-us-container-imports
USGC Coal Ship Departures Slow Amid Low Mississippi Levels: cFlow, USGS
Gulf Coast coal ship departures plummeted 57.1% to just six ships due to low Mississippi River levels, impacting St. Louis loading and coal prices, with Egypt, Panama, and Japan as top destinations.
Mississippi RiverThe Mississippi River at Baton Rouge, at 5.8 feet above sea level on Sept. 12, matched levels from when Ingram Barge Company declared force majeure in 2022. Low water levels can narrow the river, posing challenges for tanker traffic and causing barges to get stuck on...
https://mfame.guru/usgc-coal-ship-departures-slow-amid-low-mississippi-levels-cflow-usgs/
Tropical Storm Idalia forecast to become major hurricane
Tropical Storm Idalia is gaining strength and is expected to become a major hurricane before making landfall on the Florida Gulf Coast later this week.
As of 5 a.m. EDT Monday, Idalia was located about 90 miles south of the western tip of Cuba and was moving north at 8 miles per hour.
The storm currently has maximum sustained winds of 65 mph.
The National Hurricane Center warned that as Idalia moves across warmer waters in the Gulf, it will rapidly intensify over the next 24 to 48 hours.
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/tropical-storm-idalia-forecast-to-become-major-hurricane
Stakeholders reach potential settlement on Gulf Coast Amtrak service
Some level of Amtrak passenger rail service could be established on the Gulf Coast, based on a recent filing submitted to the Surface Transportation Board.
In a joint filing Monday, Amtrak, CSX (NASDAQ: CSX), Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC) and the Alabama State Port Authority asked the board to hold off on a Nov. 30 hearing on Amtrak’s plans to restore Gulf Coast service between Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans because the parties have a potential settlement within sight.
The parties also asked STB...