US importers urged to stock up ahead of potential East Coast port strike

Posted on July 29, 2024   |  

Chinese exports to the US East Coast have a lead time of just over 2 months, highlighting the urgency for shippers to increase import stocks before a potential strike.

The Flexport Ocean Timeliness Indicator (OTI) reports that China-to-USEC cargo transport takes 61 days, a slight improvement from the previous week's 62 days.

The current master contract between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and US Maritime Alliance (USMX) expires on 30 September, with contract negotiations yet to start due to disagreements over port automation.

China-to-US West Coast lead time is approximately 40 days.

Lead time for China-to-Europe shipments increased slightly from 69 days to 69.5 days.

US importers have limited time to prepare for the potential East Coast port strike.