| 7 March 2017
Spanish Ports Strike
Dear Valued Customer,
Over the past weeks, labour disputes have escalated in Spanish ports as a consequence of announced government plans to reform the Spanish Ports Act and change the existing labour system in ports in accordance with European Union regulations. This has caused discontent with the stevedores’ unions, who opted for several industrial actions against the proposed law, which was presented to the Parliament (Congreso) on February 24th.
As customer of Spanish ports highly dependent on undisrupted terminal operations, Maersk Line has hoped for a positive solution of the dispute and has been committed to a constructive dialogue with all parties. These actions might cause a serious impact on cargo flows in and out of Spain and more widely to our global network, especially due to the strategic importance of the port of Algeciras as a major transshipment port for cargo moving to/out of Europe, Africa and many other destinations.
With this in mind, we would like to advise you of a contingency plan we have put in place to minimize the disruption caused to your business and to ensure we are able to deliver your cargo as promised in a most timely manner possible under current circumstances. The plan is based on the reduced presence in Algeciras during this period and use of alternative ports in Europe and Mediterranean to ensure that we are able to reroute the cargo in the most efficient way. You may therefore experience vessel rerouting, port omissions and additional transshipment of your cargo.
We have put a website in place to keep you 24/7 updated on the situation, please click here for more information.
Our customer service representatives will in addition do their utmost to reply to your specific queries or address any issues you may have.
Sincerely,
Maersk Line
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