Yang Ming YM Unanimity arrives
at the Port of Los Angeles.
2018 | The Year in Review
The Coast
Record volumes, workplace
safety milestones and the
election of a new ILWU
leadership team highlighted
a year that ended with a cargo
surge arising from shippers'
concerns about the threat
of impending U.S. tariffs on
Chinese imports.
Even
accounting for the fourth quarter surge, 2018 volume was
on course to achieve new highs at the major ports up and down the
coast. Terminal operators continued to make significant investments
to modernize facilities, make accommodations to service larger
ships, and expand gate hours to relieve congestion.
In 2018, PMA expanded the size of the ILWU workforce in
classifications from casuals to longshore to clerk to foremen. As the
workforce expanded to manage cargo growth, injury rates continued
their downward trajectory to record lows.
The coast also continued to see the expansion of the cruise industry,
with more growth forecast for the future. Carnival Cruise Line, for
example, announced that it would begin making calls at
the Port of San Francisco starting in 2020. And in Southern
California, the Port of San Diego experienced cruise passenger
growth of 15 percent.
Another noteworthy development was the retirement of longstanding
ILWU President Bob McEllrath, and the election of a new group
of officers. PMA looks forward to working with this new ILWU
leadership team to usher in even greater stability, efficiency and
reliability at West Coast maritime terminals.
For more about the highlights of 2018, please read on.
13 p a c i f i c M a r i t i M e a s s o c i a t i o n
