Dear Valued Customer,

This is to inform you that ILA and U.S. Maritime Alliance have agreed to extend their current contract through January 15, 2025. As a result, all U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports are open for business.

While both sides have come to an agreement on wages, many issues still need to be bargained, including automation. This means another labor action (either strike or slowdown) could occur if both sides do not come to an agreement. Therefore, we are advising all clients to get their orders in early in order to avoid any potential problems if there is no contract in place by January 15, 2025.

Also, while though the strike only lasted three days it did cause a significant amount of congestion. As a result, it may take up to a month for the supply chain to return to normal. Please reach out to your logistics advisor if you would like to see if there is a possibility of expediting your cargo.

Finally, all customers are being advised that it is their responsibility to monitor the gate hours of each terminal and gate out their shipments as early as possible, as some terminals will be starting the demurrage clock when they open.

In the meantime, please reach out to your customer service representative if you have any questions or concerns about this or any other issue.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

OEC Group