Port strike and cruise lines: Will operations be disrupted?
Massive port strike across east, gulf coasts
45,000 dockworkers who load and unload cargo ships at U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports are on strike over wages and automation. FOX multimedia reporter Bowen Kedrowicz joins LiveNOW to tell us the latest on the strike in New Orleans port. LiveNOW's Andrew Craft also breaks down who and what the strike could affect with maritime analyst Sal Mercogliano.
The status of cruise operations was in the spotlight after unionized dockworkers at ports along the East and Gulf Coasts hit the picket lines on Tuesday.
While cargo at many major ports has been disrupted since the beginning of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) strike, the union said last week that its members would "continue to work passenger cruise vessels" during the work stoppage.
"We understand that many families plan and pay for cruise vacations on passenger ships more than a year out, and we don’t want them to be disappointed or inconvenienced in any way," ILA President Harold Daggett said Sept. 25 of the union’s pledge to keep working cruise ships amid the port strikes. "For almost three years during the worst of the pandemic, the cruise ship industry was shut down, and our ILA rank-and-file members handling passenger cruise vessels lost a lot of man hours."
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A spokesperson for the ILA confirmed to FOX Business on Tuesday that he hadn’t heard of any ports where that commitment was not being upheld.
The ILA strike, the union’s first in almost 50 years, entered its second day on Wednesday.
JPMorgan recently projected each day of work stoppage at the East and Gulf Coast ports could cost the economy up to $4.5 billion per day. A separate estimate from Anderson Economic Group suggested the strike could bring a $2.1 billion impact if it lasts a week.
"I’ll cripple you," Daggett said about the effects of the strike in a September interview. "It will cripple you, and you have no idea what that means. Nobody does."
Cruise Lines International Association, which counts operators like Carnival, Disney, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean among its members, said it was "aware of the work stoppage by the International Longshoremen’s Association and appreciated ILA’s commitment to continue supporting cruise ships during this time, so travelers can still enjoy their vacations."
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Cruise operations at Port Everglades and Port Miami in Florida, for example, remained unaffected.
FILE - Passengers wait to board the Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas at the Port Everglades Cruiseport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on March 27, 2023. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Port Everglades, located in Fort Lauderdale, said on its website that its cruise and petroleum operations "will not be affected by the ILA strike."
In addition to continuing to work cruise ships, the ILA said it would "continue to honor its century-plus pledge to handle all military cargo" during a strike.
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