Hamburg Port Closed to Large Ships Due to Union Worker Strike in Germany
On Wednesday, the Verdi union declared a strike concerning salary issues. Consequently, the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) has decided to shut down the port to sizable vessels.
According to a representative from the HPA, they have chosen to close down the Elbe for ships that require a pilot to navigate them due to the extensive limitations that will be caused by the warning strikes. This blockade will be in effect from 10 a.m. today and will remain until any further notice is given.
Starting at 5:30 in the evening (or 4:30 Greenwich Mean Time) and onwards, these ships won't be allowed to depart from the port. This is because the crew of the boats that transport pilots onto container ships are involved in the protests. This information was shared by a representative of the port.
The transfer will impact approximately 18 vessels heading towards Hamburg. It's challenging to determine the precise count of ships that won't be allowed to depart from the port due to logistical complexities.
Verdi intends to prolong their demonstration until Friday morning at 6 a.m. Additionally, they have encouraged employees at Hamburg airport to participate in the strike concerning the salaries of the public sector. The demonstrations, which are set to carry on for one full day, will commence with the night shift on March 22.
Reported by Riham Alkousaa and Matthias Inverardi, edited by Matthias Williams, Friederike Heine and Jan Harvey.
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