At the end of the first day of the partial strike at the Port of Montreal, which took place yesterday, the Montreal Port Authority (MPA) revealed the first operational impacts.

While the ongoing work stoppage at the Viau and Maisonneuve terminals is paralyzing 40% of total container handling capacity, APM 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. Some 11,500 containers are presently delayed in transit.

Based on past data, the current slowdown would result in a 10% 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 Thursday, October 3. All other Port of Montreal terminals remain in service.

Long-term impacts to be expected

“This situation deprives our customers and partners of 40% 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,” said Julie Gascon, President and CEO of the Montreal Port Authority (MPA). “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.

“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.”

(Port of Montreal photo of Viau terminal)