A strike by 45,000 dockworkers halting shipments at U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast ports entered its second day on Wednesday with no negotiations currently scheduled between the two sides, sources told Reuters.The lack of progress is raising concerns among those reliant on shipments that the disruption could be prolonged.
Panama City Fla. based Eastern Shipbuilding Group announced it has been awarded a contract to complete construction of two ultra high-spec 400 class multipurpose support vessels (MPSVs) for Hornbeck Offshore Services (HOS).The newbuilds were originally started by Gulf Island Shipyards in Houma, La. before Hornbeck terminated the contracts in 2018 over what it described as "performance issues".
U.S. shippers are steering clear of East and Gulf Coast ports amid worries the 45,000 dockworkers at those trade hubs will go on strike again if their union leader does not land a new contract with employers by a Jan. 15 deadline.The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) labor union and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) employer group had ended a three-day strike in October
The first of two incomplete ultra high-spec multipurpose support vessels (MPSV) has arrived at Eastern Shipbuilding Group's Port St. Joe Shipyard, where the builder will finish constructing the vessel for Hornbeck Offshore Services.Earlier this year, Eastern secured a contract to complete construction of the two 400 class MPSVs after Hornbeck terminated the original build contracts with Gulf