After an almost two-year hiatus, IAG will once again provide shipping and transportation services from London Heathrow to Beijing and Shanghai.

The lack of a West Coast labor contract between the ILWU and the PMA could be “dangerous” and “permanent,” executive director Friedmann warned.

The impact of the closures on cargo flow was limited due to low volumes, though one container ship scheduled to go to a berth today was delayed and loitering offshore.

The terminal closures come as cargo volumes have dropped sharply at the Southern California ports from peak levels a year ago.

The Croatian government awarded a $3 billion contract to build and operate a container terminal to Maersk-owned APM Terminals, after canceling a tender that had been given to three Chinese state-owned companies.

The embattled company has struggled with major inefficiencies that have led to traffic being redirected to ports outside South Africa.

The move is due to a planned 10-day strike by 1,400 Heathrow security workers in the Unite union, who are taking action in a dispute over pay.

P&O Ferries, owned by DP World, laid off hundreds of seafarers in March 2022 and replaced them with foreign agency workers paid less than the minimum wage.

The request came as cargo volumes have dropped off at West Coast ports, in part because retailers and importers have sought to avoid potential disruption and delays because of the labor negotiations.

The 48-hour strike, which is to end on the morning of March 25, has largely paralyzed cargo handling at major ports including Hamburg, Bremerhaven and Wilhelmshaven