Officials called off the ports' strike Thursday afternoon, after this story was posted. To read more on the reached agreement, click here.
A strike by nearly 50,000 dock workers is hitting ports along the East Coast and Gulf Coast of the continental United States. The job action is just in its third day — and it's not directly impacting Hawaiʻi or the Asia Pacific.
But if the strike lingers, that could change.
Shippers in Australia are making contingency plans, even though most of their U.S. business comes through the West Coast.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation quotes a senior executive of the shipping firm C.H. Robinson as saying an extended strike could disrupt cargo capacity beyond the East Coast and Gulf Coast of the United States.
The head of international logistics for Australia's Freight and Trade Alliance says such an upheaval could pull some ships out of their usual rotation.
That could affect his clients, including about 500 Australian companies in the import and export business.
The labor dispute is not likely to have a dire short-term impact on Asian shipping.
But the chief analyst at a company that follows freight rates says there's one approaching date of concern.
Peter Sand of Xeneta told CNBC he expects the effects of a lingering strike will be felt in Europe, then the Mediterranean, with a concern about a seasonal pick up in Asia in the run-up to the lunar new year.
