The peak shipping season is about to start, or it may face the threat of port strikes

The threat of strikes at ports in Asia, Europe and the U.S. is weighing heavily on shipping companies as the peak shipping season approaches this year.

Dockworkers in Hamburg staged a brief threatening strike on Friday, the first in more than three decades at Germany's largest port, as pay talks also involve other northern German port cities, mired in turmoil. Unions in the Hanseatic city threatened further industrial action at a time when the port was already suffering from abnormally high congestion.

Meanwhile, in Asia, an eight-day strike by South Korean unionized truckers ended late last night after unions and the Ministry of Transportation reached a tentative deal to end a crippling attack that has paralyzed ports and industrial centers and cost hundreds of millions of dollars. National strike.

Finally, on the U.S. West Coast, in an effort to relieve shippers, unions and employers said on Tuesday as they negotiated contracts for more than 22,000 port workers, they were committed to a deal and were not planning any shutdowns or deadlocks that would worsen the supply chain impasse. .

Negotiations have been ongoing between the International Terminals and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) employers' organisation since May.

In a joint statement released Tuesday, the ILWU and PMA said they shared their commitment to a deal with U.S. President Joe Biden at a meeting in Los Angeles on Friday.

"Neither side is preparing for a strike or lockout," they said.