Key ports on Canada's West Coast, including its largest container port in Vancouver and the Port of Prince Rupert, were shut down by a labor strike on Monday.
According to the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, $800 million in trade flows through West Coast ports every day.
Montreal processes 40% of all East Coast container traffic.
Approximately $572 million in container trade arrives daily in the U.S. from Canada, according to U.S. Census data.
A temporary loss of the Canadian West Coast trade gateway could push carriers to discharge import cargo along the already strained U.S. West Coast, said Alan Baer, CEO of OL USA, further increasing the dwell time of containers and elongating overall transits.
Persons:
of Prince Rupert, Vancouver and Prince Rupert, Prince Rupert, Eric Byer, Paul Brashier, Alan Baer, Steve Lamar, Frank Morena, Steven MacKinnon
Organizations:
Greater, Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, Local, Port, Canadian Union of Public Employees, U.S . Department of Transportation, Alliance for Chemical, Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian National Railway, Logistics, International, Warehouse Union of Canada, ITS Logistics, East, Canadian West, USA, U.S ., American Apparel and Footwear Association, British Columbia Maritime Employers Association, Federal Mediation, Conciliation Services, Canada, ILWU, U.S, Canadian Labor
Locations:
West Coast, Vancouver, of, Foreman, Greater Vancouver, U.S, Port of Montreal, Montreal, United States, of Vancouver, Canada, Canadian West Coast, Port, Midwest, Asia, U.S . West Coast, Los Angeles, Long Beach , California, British Columbia, American, British, East Coast