ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT�.FOR NOW
A lockout effectively shutting down operations at the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles 29 US West Coast deep-water ports has been averted as the International Longshoremen�s & Warehouseman�s Union (ILWU) dispatched full work crews to a terminal at the Port of Long Beach operated by Stevedoring Services of America (SSA) terminal just minutes before a deadline imposed by the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA).
The deadline had been imposed by the PMA because of what the group charged was a deliberate weeklong work slowdown by the union at the Long Beach terminal. The threatened lockout came as ILWU and PMA negotiators in San Francisco ILWU had reached a tense impasse on reaching agreement on the remaining details of a new labor contract. The ILWU contract with the PMA expired on July 1, but both sides agreed at that time to have union members work on a �day to day� basis until negotiations are concluded and an agreement is reached.
Talks between the two groups temporarily broke down September 1 with negotiators returning to the table a few days later. (More) LA CARGO THEFT UNIT SCRAPPED AS NUMBER OF HEISTS RISES
Citing budget restraints, the Los Angeles County Sheriff�s Department has officially disbanded the multi-agency Cargo CATS anti-cargo theft task force.
The move comes despite figures issued earlier in the year by the Federal Bureau of Investigation that show the dollar loss from cargo theft in 2001 reached more than $600 million and is expected to be even higher this year, possibly as much as $1 billion... (More) LOS ANGELES, LONG BEACH TERMINAL EXPANSION CONTINUES
The first phase in the construction of the largest container terminal in the world was dedicated recently a the Port of Los Angeles, while work continues on a massive new container terminal at its adjacent rival, the Port of Long Beach.
The first container handled at the new new Pier T facility at the Port of Long Beach was offloaded from the 5,300-TEU Hanjin Oslo last week. Hanjin Shipping is expected to complete the move of its operations at the port to the new terminal by the end of the month.
Los Angeles� Pier 400 container terminal cost $3.4 billion and took eight years to construct and when completed in 2004 will cover 484 acres, or the equivalent of 366 football fields. The facility rests as an �add-on� on the western, or Port of Los Angeles, side of Terminal Island, and about a mile, or half the distance, between the Island and the breakwater... (More) |
