As we inch closer to January 15th to avoid a second strike for U.S. dock workers, Trade Data Monitor (TDM) examines what industries may be most impacted. The deadline to come to an agreement is just five days before the new administration takes office. Across multiple industries, companies and trade associations are urging for the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) to reach a deal quickly, with ILA’s major concern being automation.
By vessel, Houston, Corpus Christi, Norfolk-Newport News, Los Angeles, and New York are among the largest ports to export by USD.
U.S. Port Exports to the World, by Vessel, All Commodities, Value: USD
Source: Trade Data Monitor, LLC
Houston, TX: 17.43%
Corpus Christi: 11.22%
Norfolk-Newport News, VA: 5.37%
Los Angeles, CA: 4.25%
New York, NY: 4.25%
Among the top ports that export, Houston, Texas, primarily exports mineral fuels, making up 58% of its exports to the world, followed by organic chemicals at 10%, and plastics at 9%.
Corpus Christi, Texas, follows a similar pattern, but with mineral fuels at 97% of its exports to the world and only 1.5% of organic chemicals.
Norfolk-Newport News, Virginia, exports products like pharmaceuticals, machinery, and plastics. Pharmaceuticals account for 15.5% of their total exports to the world, followed by 10% for machinery, and 9% for plastics.
Los Angeles, California exports machinery, electronics, and meat as its top products. Machinery represents 13% of its export market, electronics at 7%, and meat at 6%. Los Angeles has a diverse range of products being exported but is not currently in the forefront of the U.S. strikes on the dock.
Lastly, when examining New York’s port exports, we see a similar level of diversity across products. New York’s top exported products consist of machinery, vehicles, and plastics. Machinery consists of 12% of their export market, followed by vehicles at 9% and plastics at 8%.
There are still many important American exporters being left out of the equation who are worried about the strike. From apparel and footwear to agricultural goods, these are items being consumed by the world market. For example, the top two ports for American footwear exports are Newark, NJ (16% of U.S. footwear exports) and New York, NY (15% of U.S. footwear exports), from January to November 2024.
As American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) stated in a release, “Supply chain disruptions are a serious concern for our industry, and we cannot afford additional setbacks as we approach critical shipping periods like Lunar New Year. We urge both the ILA and USMX to continue their negotiations and reach a fair, sustainable agreement before the expiration of the Master Contract.”
Agricultural goods are preparing for impact too. As the U.S. Meat Export Federation stated in their report on December 27, 2024, “U.S. agriculture is bracing for a potential work stoppage at East and Gulf Coast ports that could greatly disrupt U.S. exports.” Some of the top ports aforementioned, including Houston, account for 3% of U.S. meat exports (HS 02/16), followed by 3% from New York, and another 3% from Norfolk-Newport News. Other ports that participated in the first strike include those in Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts.
Jade N. Wolanin
Trade Data Monitor supplies governments, corporations, law firms and trade associations around the world with monthly trade statistics for over 125 countries. Visit tradedatamonitor.com for more information.