Cargo Solidarity Union Strike Enters Fifth Day... Port Container Inbound and Outbound Volume at 21% of Normal Levels

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] On the fifth day of the Cargo Solidarity strike, April 28, the volume of container imports and exports at ports dropped to 21% of the normal level.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, as of 10 a.m. that day, the total container import and export volume at 12 ports nationwide was 7,587 TEU (1 TEU equals one 20-foot container), which is 21% of the usual 36,655 TEU.

The ministry explained that at some ports, including Gwangyang Port, Pyeongtaek-Dangjin Port, and Ulsan Port, container imports and exports have almost come to a halt.

However, the container occupancy rate at the 12 ports nationwide remains at 62.4%, close to the usual 64.5%. The container occupancy rate refers to the ratio of containers actually stored compared to the port's container storage capacity.

The ministry expects that in the ready-mixed concrete industry, production will be suspended nationwide starting April 29, causing disruptions at construction sites across the country. In the steel sector, due to voluntary restraint on truck shipments, only 47.8% (22,000 tons) of the average weekend daily shipment volume (46,000 tons) was shipped the previous day, causing disruptions.

As logistics disruptions intensified due to the strike, the government raised the crisis alert level for land freight transportation to the "serious" stage from 9 a.m. that day and is operating the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.