FEDERAL Maritime Commission (FMC) commissioner Louis Sola called on US President Biden to intervene in an ongoing labour dispute between the South Carolina (SC) Ports Authority with the International Longshoreman's Association (ILA) at the Hugh K Leatherman terminal, reports London's Port Technology.
Mr Sola declared he was shocked that the new terminal, opened in March 2021 and based in Charleston, is being underutilised due to the dispute.
SC Ports has broken record after record for containers handled at the Port of Charleston, with May marking the 15th consecutive month of cargo records from sustained retail imports.
SC Ports has moved 2.7 million TEU so far in 2022, an increase of 15 per cent.
The Hugh K Leatherman terminal is expected to handle 2.4 million TEU year on year; however, Mr Sola declared that this capacity is yet to be realised as the labour dispute remains before the US National Labour Relations Board.
'I am shocked that this much-needed terminal lying fallow during this time of crisis due to an organised labour dispute in a right-to-work state,' said Mr Sola.
'The thought that a labour dispute would contribute to this nation's current supply chain problem defies logic. Blocking the utilisation of this terminal contributes to the delay in the import and export of needed commodities and contributes to the general level of Co2 emissions as ships loiter at sea awaiting an opening at the pier.'
SeaNews Turkey
Mr Sola declared he was shocked that the new terminal, opened in March 2021 and based in Charleston, is being underutilised due to the dispute.
SC Ports has broken record after record for containers handled at the Port of Charleston, with May marking the 15th consecutive month of cargo records from sustained retail imports.
SC Ports has moved 2.7 million TEU so far in 2022, an increase of 15 per cent.
The Hugh K Leatherman terminal is expected to handle 2.4 million TEU year on year; however, Mr Sola declared that this capacity is yet to be realised as the labour dispute remains before the US National Labour Relations Board.
'I am shocked that this much-needed terminal lying fallow during this time of crisis due to an organised labour dispute in a right-to-work state,' said Mr Sola.
'The thought that a labour dispute would contribute to this nation's current supply chain problem defies logic. Blocking the utilisation of this terminal contributes to the delay in the import and export of needed commodities and contributes to the general level of Co2 emissions as ships loiter at sea awaiting an opening at the pier.'
SeaNews Turkey
