This summer could see the highest levels of U.S. import container volumes since 2022, the National Retail Federation said June 10.

President Joe Biden should support workers in the Baltimore region that were affected by the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge (see 2403260047) the same way maritime workers were supported during the COVID-19 pandemic, Federal Maritime Commissioner Carl Bentzel wrote in a letter to the White House dated April 23. Bentzel said the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, could act as an example. The White House didn't respond to our request for comment.

A Texas shipper accused major Chinese ocean carrier Cosco Shipping Lines of violating U.S. shipping regulations through unfair detention and demurrage charges, costing it nearly $2 million in damages. Visual Comfort & Co, a shipper of lighting products, said Cosco “refused” to extend free days for containers that couldn’t be returned to the port and declined to divert shipments to less crowded ports, allowing the carrier to charge “astronomical” D&D fees.

Correction: Terminal operators at the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports will raise their traffic mitigation fee by 4% starting Nov. 1, the West Coast Marine Terminal Operator Agreement (WCMTOA) said in a news release (see 2310020071).

Terminal operators at the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports will raise their traffic mitigation fee by 4% starting Nov. 1, the West Coast Marine Terminal Operator Agreement (WCMTOA) said in a news release. Beginning that date, the TMF will be $35.57 per TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) or $71.14 per forty-foot container, said the WCMTOA, which includes all 12 terminal operators at the ports. "The adjustment matches the combined 4% increase in longshore wage and assessment rates recently ratified in the coastwide contract between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association," the release said.

A potential Indirect Source Rule that the South Coast Air Quality Management District is considering, which would affect the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, is necessary to avoid greater disruption from federal action should port emissions remain unaddressed, the district said in an email Sept. 1. It also said it is working with stakeholders to "come up with a proposed regulation that is feasible and can improve air quality without impacting cargo flows."

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union on Aug. 31 officially voted to ratify the tentative labor agreement they reached with the Pacific Maritime Administration in June (see 2306150038), the ILWU said. The union said it voted 75% in favor of the new deal, which expires July 1, 2028, adding that it "protects good-paying jobs in 29 West Coast port communities, maintains health benefits, and improves wages, pensions and safety protections."

Over 100 organizations led by the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA) signed a letter urging the mayors of Los Angeles and Long Beach to oppose a "potential Indirect Source Rule (ISR)" by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD). In the letter to the mayors written Aug. 25, groups that include the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America warned that the ISR would have a "devastating impact" on jobs in California, the supply chain, the economy, the transition to "zero-emissions" equipment, the competitiveness of the ports, and the "economic vitality of Port-adjacent communities."

"As we move forward to implement the terms of the agreement, we are committed to working collaboratively with our labour partners, the federal government and key stakeholders to rebuild the reputation of Canada’s largest gateway," the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) said in announcing that a labor agreement it had ratified was also ratified by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada late last week.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada will have a "Stop Work" meeting on July 25 to recommend the settlement terms to its members, ILWU Canada said in a statement July 21. The ILWU Canada Longshore Caucus approved the terms as originally proposed July 13 by a federal mediator, the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) said in a statement (see 2307130038). The caucus had initially rejected the terms, leading to a short-lived resumption of a strike by dockworkers at Canadian West Coast ports (see 2307190031 and 2307200050).