Port of Montreal seeing impact of work stoppage

The Port of Montreal says the ongoing work stoppage at the Viau and Maisonneuve terminals is resulting in a decrease of container handling capacity of 40 per cent.

At the end of the first day of the partial strike at the Port of Montreal, which began Sept. 30, the Montreal Port Authority (MPA) revealed the first operational impacts.

“This situation deprives our customers and partners of 40 per cent of container handling capacity on the St. Lawrence at a crucial time, when both import and export holiday cargo must transit through the Port of Montreal. It is vital that the parties reach an agreement as soon as possible, given that $6 billion worth of goods are expected to pass through the Port of Montreal over the next few weeks,” said Julie Gascon, president and CEO of MPA. “What’s more, the climate of uncertainty that accompanies the lack of progress between the two parties means that we have to anticipate long-term impacts. Supply chain reliability is at the heart of Port users’ business decisions, and that’s why I’m calling on both parties to return to the table and reassure the thousands of companies that rely on our services to export and import goods crucial to their operations.”

The port said it is seeing an accumulation of containers on the ground, including temperature-controlled containers for food, pharmaceutical and medical products. In addition, goods scheduled to transit through the Viau and Maisonneuve terminals are currently being held up at forwarding agents, and five container ships due to arrive at the Port of Montreal in the next few days have been delayed.

The data released presents a partial picture, as companies using Montreal’s port services have few options.

Based on past data, the current slowdown would result in a 10 pe cent drop in total cargo volumes handled at the Port of Montreal.

The Viau and Maisonneuve terminals, operated by Termont, are currently closed, meaning that access to the terminals is prohibited, and no rail, ship or truck services are provided. The three-day partial strike by members of the CUPE Longshoremen’s Union, Local 375, will continue until 6:59 a.m. on Oct. 3. All other Port of Montreal terminals remain in service.