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The S.C. Ports Authority has shifted two containerships intended to call on the Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal back to Wando Welch Terminal as shipping companies look to stay out of the fray cause by a union lawsuit, the Port of Charleston said yesterday in a statement.
In a months-long battle to ascertain HLT jobs that they believe should be assigned to union workers, the International Longshoremen’s Association has taken to using an “intimidation tactic” to get liners to boycott the port, the SCPA said.
Following the Leatherman Terminal opening, the ILA is suing Hapag-Loyd and the U.S. Maritime Alliance for $200 million in damages, arguing that by docking at the terminal and using non-bargaining employees, both violated terms of their Master Contract and subsequently cost ILA members future jobs and wages.
By Gavin van Marle (The Loadstar) –
The US east coast is set for another bruising encounter between a dockworker union, shipping line and terminal operators.
The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) has launched legal action against Hapag-Lloyd and the US Maritime Alliance.
At the centre of the claim is the new Hugh K Leatherman container terminal at the port of Charleston, the first new box capacity in the US for over a decade when it opened this month.
The first vessel call was by Hapag-Lloyd’s 3,200 teu
Yorktown Express, which arrived on 9 April and is the focus of an ILA claim for $200m in damages.
The current contract extends from Oct. 1, 2018, through Sept. 30, 2024.
The ILA is now seeking $200 million for “massive damages” for the container carrier using non-bargaining employees to perform crane work, operate forklifts and move the containers onto chassis, the lawsuit said.
The sum was calculated from future estimates of lost work throughout the coast, according to the ILA source. That includes lost work opportunities, wages and benefits for members, as well as depriving the ILA of dues income
The ILA claims Hapag-Lloyd and USMX are liable for interfering with a contractual relationship, breach of contract and civil conspiracy for knowingly using the HLT and employees not covered under the USMX Master Contract.
Among Piers: Container record, terminal opening and COVID-19 vaccines
Container moves at Port Houston in March climbed 20% year-over-year and set a monthly record.
Port Houston handled 297,397 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in March compared to 248,840 TEUs in the same month last year. The March figure is the highest monthly total ever, surpassing the record set in October by 1,187 TEUs.
“We are seeing significant increases in cargo,” Port Houston Executive Director Roger Guenther said in a statement this week. “As container demand surges across our docks, our terminals remain efficient and free of congestion to provide the best service levels to our customers.”
Among Piers: Container record, terminal opening and COVID-19 vaccines
Berth announcement and more good news from Texas, South Carolina and Florida ports
0 31 3 minutes read The Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal has opened at the Port of Charleston in South Carolina. (Photo: English Purcell/SCPA)
Port Houston
Container moves at Port Houston in March climbed 20% year-over-year and set a monthly record.
Port Houston handled 297,397 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in March compared to 248,840 TEUs in the same month last year. The March figure is the highest monthly total ever, surpassing the record set in October by 1,187 TEUs.
“We are seeing significant increases in cargo,” Port Houston Executive Director Roger Guenther said in a statement this week. “As container demand surges across our docks, our terminals remain efficient and free of congestion to provide the best service levels to our customers.”