Montreal port chief: partial strike reduces capacity by 30 percent

By Michael McGrady, Maritime Direct Americas & Pacific Correspondent

MONTREAL — Martin Imbleau, president and the CEO of the Montreal Port Authority, announced that the partial strike put on by a public employee’s union representing longshoremen at the Port of Montreal could reduce the overall capacity by 30 percent.

“The Port of Montreal is not the port of a single city or company or industry: it’s every resident in Eastern Canada’s port,” Imbleau said. “But at the turn of the first quarter of 2021, the Port is being hit by a climate of uncertainty incompatible with a shipping industry that must choose to divert its vessels to provide a minimum of reliability despite the added delays and costs.”

The Port of Montreal is witnessing a partial strike by members of the dockworkers’ union CUPE Local 375 and the Maritime Employers Association. Due to this dispute, the decline in processed volumes will be severely impacted. Imbleau said the decisions of all of the parties involved would result in a port capacity drop by 30 percent.

“For once in its history, the Port of Montreal is posting results that pale in comparison to its competitors on the U.S. East Coast, who are enjoying significant growth,” notes Imbleau.

“The continuity of international trade is essential not only to the supply of critical goods but also to the very functioning of our economy, whether or not in recovery. Accordingly, the Port of Montreal has a dual role as an economic agent that creates wealth and as a reliable public service that ensures the security of the communities it serves. This is becoming an increasingly difficult mandate.”