Port of Seattle closed due to ILWU labor strife

The West Coast ports person faced continuous idiosyncratic slowdowns and stoppages each week wherever an estimated $5.2b of trade is floating disconnected the Ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Oakland. 

The Port of Seattle and its duplicate port, The Port of Tacoma, marque up what is called the Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA). The Port of Seattle is 1 of the apical maritime ports successful North America that U.S. ag exporters trust connected to vessel their nutrient and grain. Some 40% of the State of Washington's jobs are tied to trade.

Top trading partners were China, Japan, Vietnam, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and India successful 2022.

Agriculture Transportation Coalition (AgTC) which represents ag shippers tells CNBC these disruptions are exporters hurting the estimation of U.S. ag exporters arsenic a reliable trading partner.

"When the ILWU-PMA negotiations broke down astatine the extremity of a erstwhile contract, Japan's Agriculture Ministry wrote our U.S. Dept of Agriculture, to the effect, 'Your ports aren't moving but our cows are inactive eating.' The interaction of these West Coast disruptions is felt worldwide," stressed Peter Friedmann, enforcement manager of AgTC.

The apical six U.S. exports according to the port's website see apples (valued astatine $2.185 billion), milk, ($1.209 billion), cattle (valued astatine $801.5 million), wheat (valued astatine $756.8 million), potatoes, (valued astatine $712.4 million), and hay (valued astatine $601.7 million). The full worth of the exports successful 2022 was $5.66 billion.

The NWSA is the country's second-largest gateway for refrigerated containers called, "reefers." Frozen products similar gallic fries, meat, dairy, apple, and food are transported successful these specialized containers.

"Our agriculture can't basal by and can't beryllium stored connected terminals," said Friedmann. "We can't continuously miss sailings and transportation commitments to overseas buyers."

Friedmann said ag exporters, with precise fewer exceptions, bash not person the enactment to displacement from West Coast gateways to the East and Gulf coasts. But helium warned clients, overseas buyers do.

"They're called Argentina, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand," said Friedmann. "We don't privation to suffer these customers."

The NWSA is besides a larboard importer of automobiles with a terminal dedicated to Roll-On and Roll-Off vessels. Auto imports were up 6.5% successful 2022 compared to 2021, with 172,979 units delivered. Kia and Hyundai automobiles usage this gateway.

CNBC reached retired to the Port of Seattle and the ILWU and astatine the clip of property does not person a comment.