Spotlight
LA ballot measure could impact port automation
Voters will decide the fate of a City of Los Angeles ballot measure to determine how leases between the port and its marine terminal tenants impact local community interests, including port workers. Although the ballot measure was originally intended to clarify how much of the Port of Los Angeles’ annual revenues will be shared with the city, the involvement of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union( ILWU) locals could ultimately open a new front for the union to block automation at the largest US container port. Industry insiders say the ballot measure, known as Charter Amendment PRT, would give the ILWU a new way to marshal popular support against future investment by marine terminals in projects that could include automation. While the ILWU coastwide contract dating back to 2008 specifically directs that automation projects be negotiated at the local port level, the union and its allies have tried numerous times to work around that historic contract by encouraging state and city governments to act through various legislative tactics. The coastwide contract that expires on July 1, 2028, is more nuanced. It expires two weeks before the start of Olympic Summer Games in Los Angeles and amid the runup to the US presidential elections in November 2028, which could give the union more bargaining leverage, a source close to employers told Journal of Commerce.
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MSC, HMM expand vessel order book
Mediterranean Shipping Co.( MSC) and HMM have each placed major new orders of tonnage, with the former ordering 20 container ships with capacities of up to 24,000 TEUs from China’ s Hengli Heavy Industries. HMM will spend $ 1.6 billion to acquire 12 long-haul and regional container ships in what is the South Korean carrier’ s first investment in new vessels since announcing a $ 20 billion, five-year fleet and terminal expansion plan in July. The orders, together with other recent deals by carriers including Maersk, have propelled the global backlog of new vessels to 16.5 million TEUs, equivalent to 46.5 % of the existing fleet, the highest level since 2009, according to Linerlytica, which reported the MSC order. Neither MSC nor the shipbuilder commented on the order. The run of new tonnage reflects the need to renew an aging global fleet in the medium-term and ocean carriers; need for scale to compete on major east-west trades— even as analysts warn that overcapacity will kick off a downcycle as early as next year. HMM’ s latest order includes eight 13,000-TEU ships to be ordered from shipyards and three 2,800-TEU and one 1,700-TEU feeder ships that will be acquired as resale newbuilds.
Arbitration ends long Montreal contract standoff
Marine terminal operators and longshore workers at the Port of Montreal have finished a year-long arbitration process that has resulted in a new five-year contract, avoiding the strikes and other labor actions that have hit the port since the last deal expired in 2024. The Maritime Employers Association( MEA) said in a statement that an arbitration tribunal issued a collective bargaining agreement between the MEA and Montreal’ s 1,200 longshore workers represented by Local 375 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees( CUPE). The agreement covers the five-year period from 2024 to 2028, the MEA said. The MEA said the arbitration covers working conditions, wages and other provisions of the collective agreement while bringing an end to“ difficult negotiations marked by service disruptions, [ and ] supporting the continuation of a reliable and competitive port service with significant potential for growth.” The talks between the two sides entered arbitration in September 2025, following an order from the Canadian Industrial Relations Board( CIRB) for the union to end labor actions at the port. Prior to bringing in an arbitrator, the MEA sought to mediate with the longshore union for a new contract in November 2024 after direct talks with the union that started at the end of 2023 failed to reach an agreement.
FMC questions Cosco on late payments
US maritime regulators have ordered Cosco Shipping to explain why it was late paying reparations to an agricultural shipper and questioned whether the ocean carrier intentionally ignored the ruling ordering the payment. The Federal Maritime Commission( FMC) said Cosco is subject to fines of up
6 Journal of Commerce | November 2, 2026 www. joc. com