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Ports all along the East
and Gulf Coasts -- including ours -- would be impacted by any work stoppage
associated with the Master Contract between the ILA and the US Maritime
Alliance.
While the South Carolina
Ports Authority (SCPA) is not a party to the contract or the negotiations,
we sincerely hope that they will be resolved favorably and swiftly, and
that impacts on cargo flow, our customers, and the economy can be avoided.
The SCPA will work
diligently both before and after any work stoppage to minimize impacts on
our customers. Below are details on current preparations and expectations.
These are subject to change and will be updated as new information becomes
available or as the situation warrants.
To be updated on changes to
Port conditions and practices, please visit http://www.scspa.com and sign up for our
"Client Advisories."
Your business in South
Carolina's ports is greatly appreciated.
GATE HOURS - Extended gate
hours will be provided at Charleston container terminals for ALL lines as
follows:
- Monday, February 4: 7 am to 8 pm
- Tuesday, February 5: 7 am to 8 pm
- Wednesday, February 6: 7 am to 8 pm
These extended hours are
subject to change -- if there is no stoppage or an agreement is reached,
regular gate hours will be re-instated.
In the event of an ILA
coast-wide work stoppage, no containers will be interchanged on or off the
SCPA's marine terminals in the Port of Charleston. Gate hours immediately
following any stoppage will be communicated as they are determined.
VESSEL OPS & BERTHING -
All container vessel operations would cease during a work stoppage. Due to
security issues and related concerns, the SCPA will not provide
lay-berthing for ships. All vessels are expected to complete operations and
sail in advance of any shutdown. Upon resumption of normal operations, it
is anticipated that preferences will be suspended and that ships will be
worked in the order of their arrival off-shore.
GATE ACTIVITY & YARD
STAFFING - Even with extended hours, customers and motor carriers should be
prepared for increased gate activity over the coming days. The SCPA will
provide the necessary equipment and personnel in the container yard. We
will also ensure all support functions - such as maintenance, IT and other
areas - are fully staffed during regular and extended hours.
CHASSIS - The SCPA has
communicated with chassis providers and vendors and encouraged them to
reduce damaged inventory, ensuring there are as many roadworthy units as
possible in the port.
REFRIGERATED UNITS - Reefer
monitoring will likely be limited during a work stoppage. Lines and
shippers may consider minimizing the active reefer inventory on-terminal,
as any work stoppage will keep boxes from being interchanged in or out for
the duration of any shutdown.
FREE TIME - For the
duration of any work stoppage, the SCPA will extend free time to its ocean
carrier customers for all containers on terminal. Free time and demurrage
calculations will both resume when any stoppage ends.
OTHER BUSINESS
SEGMENTS/RAIL - It is not clear what impacts a strike or lock-out could
have on non-container business segments. It is also not known precisely
what impacts any work stoppage could have on rail operations. The CSX
intermodal ramp has agreed to match the SCPA's extended gate hours on
Monday through Wednesday, and the NS will be open until 7 pm the same three
days, both conditioned on extended Port gate hours.
ENFORCEMENT/SECURITY - We
have discussed our anticipated actions and the situation with the key
federal agencies to ensure the necessary staffing will be in place during
peaks and to provide for a swift recovery following any stoppage. For the
safety and security of cargo and equipment, the SCPA Port Police will
remain on duty 24/7 during any work stoppage.
To remain informed of any
updates or changes to port conditions and practices, please visit
http://www.scspa.com and sign up for
our "Client Advisories."
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