Apparently dockworkers managed to unload the Zim Piraeus freighter today around 4:00 am. Reports that the ship had turned around and gone home were a ruse to get protestors to go home so workers could return to the shipyard. It worked. Some minor financial loss for the delay and time spent at the dock (probably totaling around $500,000), but nothing too serious. Owners of the ships cargo — most of them non-Israeli, as Israeli shareholders only accounted for 32% of the payload — apparently could have sued the port for damages, but decided to just eat the cost in the expectation that blockades would likely not recur in the near future. If theres still enough enthusiasm about the issue next time a Zim vessel makes a stop in Oakland, they might use the tactic again. Zim will probably just take its business elsewhere if it faces repeated blockades in Oakland, however, which would mean a decrease in the ports revenue and probably layoffs sooner or later. Though its a big port, Oakland receives less than a tenth of the total tonnage shipped through the West Coast. Well see how things pan out. For now its back to business as usual, though, I suppose.
Posted on: Thu, 21 Aug 2014 04:13:06 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015