"It may take several weeks to restore supply chain fluidity and process all cargo currently at the Port of Montreal or expected to arrive soon," the MPA said.

Maersk said it expected cargo backlogs and congestion to pose significant challenges in the coming days and warned of possible delays on its North Europe to Canada CAE service and the Mediterranean to Canada MMX service, which it operates in partnership with CMA CGM.

Hapag-Lloyd pointed out that its THE Alliance AT1 service will be delayed by one week and AT2 service may also be affected.

On the west coast of Canada, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA) said the 10-day strike has seriously disrupted port operations, with several merchant ships currently waiting to berth at sea.

The Port Authority is implementing a “priority-based anchorage allocation system” to balance the needs of various business sectors and commodities.

Vessels currently berthing include the CMA CGM Orfeo, CMA CGM Endurance, MSC Palak Chin and ESL Nhava Sheva, which have been waiting for berths for more than 13 days, affecting Ocean Alliance services such as PN4, PN1, PNW1, PN3 and CPNW.

Vessels still waiting at anchorage include the YM Plum (which has been waiting at sea for 8 days and at anchor for 9 days), OOCL Veracruz, HMM Peridot, Cosco Venice and Argus.

and six vessels at anchorage outside VFPA jurisdiction, including the Conti Contessa, which has been idle for six days and is expected to berth on Thursday.

VFPA encourages its supply chain partners to use the “offshore area” as the “arrival point” for issuing a preparation notice for loading or unloading. At the same time, the port authority requires ship operators to take necessary actions, such as achieving “on-time arrival” by slowing down the speed as much as possible.

Maersk confirmed that for Canadian ports affected by the strike, most shipping lines will restart the clock on detention and demurrage charges on the day the affected marine terminals reopen.

However, due to the large backlog of containers and high demand, shippers and freight forwarders may have difficulty in booking pickup or drop-off times for containers, which may result in D&D fees being incurred.

Maersk reminds shippers that if they are unable to obtain a terminal or rail appointment during the restart period, they should always take a time-stamped screenshot to prove that an appointment was attempted. This proof may be used as a reference when disputing demurrage.

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