A Bahamas-flagged bulk carrier remains in the Port of Tacoma after U.S. Coast Guard Port State Control inspectors found multiple safety deficiencies. A Port State Control exam team from Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound boarded the 751-foot MV Rena last Thursday and discovered multiple areas that did not meet regulations set forth in the International Maritime … [Read more...]
U.S. Regulator Approves Alliance Between Ports of Seattle and Tacoma
The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has voted to unanimously to allow an alliance between the ports of Tacoma and Seattle that is to become effective as scheduled on Thursday, July 23, 2015. The Commission’s decision is based on a determination that the agreement is not likely, by a reduction in competition, to produce an unreasonable increase in … [Read more...]
West Coast Port Labor Talks Intensify After Worker Slowdowns
By James Nash Nov. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Bargaining on a new contract for West Coast longshoremen has intensified after dockworkers who handle a majority of the nation’s cargo began selective slowdowns ahead of the holiday season. Negotiators for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association, representing terminal operators and shipping … [Read more...]
Pacific Shippers Say Dockworker Slowdown Hits Seattle, Tacoma
By James Nash Nov. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Pacific Coast dockworkers negotiating a new labor agreement have begun a work slowdown in Seattle and Tacoma, management said, in the first large job action since their contract expired in July. The slowdown by members of the International Longshore & Warehouse Union reduced container movement to 10 to 18 per hour from 25 to 35, the … [Read more...]
BNSF Shale Focus Blunts Puget Sound Ports’ Comeback Bid
By Peter Robison and Thomas Black Oct. 31 (Bloomberg) -- Seattle and Tacoma are being stymied in their push to regain market share from Canada as railcars destined for the harbors sit idle on tracks across the U.S. Pacific Northwest. Even as the ports, on Washington’s Puget Sound, agreed to consolidate some operations after a century of competition, 40- fold growth in … [Read more...]