Ocean carriers respond to strike action at Felixstowe

Felixstowe workers are still set to strike on Sunday after the port offered a £500 lump sum bonus for each worker in addition to their previous offer of a 7% pay raise, but the union still rejected the deal.

Ocean carriers have attempted to circumvent the impact of the eight-day strike by either advancing or delaying calling at the port in their vessel rotations.

Three of Maersk’s services will not be stopping at the port at all next week, including the AE6 between Shanghai and Antwerp, the LO2 North European feeder, and the SLC between North Europe and the Aegean. These services will discharge cargo at alternative destinations, with connections to Felixstowe at later dates for two of them

Credit: @mighty659

There is likely to be a knock-on effect on scheduling at other ports as they attempt to accommodate additional volume.

Disruption to ocean freight could also see a boost in demand for air freight services, according to Air Cargo News, especially for time-sensitive shipments.

More than 500 workers at the Port of Liverpool are also set to strike in response to a pay raise offer of 7%. The date and duration have yet to be confirmed.

Source: Air Cargo News, gCaptain, Seatrade Maritime News