The Longshoremen Strike & Cybersecurity
Not all people working in the interest of national security are employed by the NSA, some are union members working at our ports.
The media portrays the International Longshoremen’s Association as greedy union workers and uneducated rubes for demanding a ban on the automation of cranes, gates and container movements at American ports.
Longshoremen at key US ports threatening to strike over automation and pay | AP News - September 18, 2024
“The International Longshoremen’s Union is demanding significantly higher wages and a total ban on the automation of cranes, gates and container movements that are used in the loading or loading of freight at 36 U.S. ports. Whenever and however the dispute is resolved, it’s likely to affect how freight moves in and out of the United States for years to come…
Daggett said the union members expect to be waging their biggest fight — against the automation of job functions at ports — well into the future…
As an example, he pointed to a gate that automatically processes trucks without union labor at the port in Mobile, Alabama. The gate has been in place since 2008.”
‘Auto gate’: How Mobile has played a role in longshoremen strike - al.com October 01, 2024
The automated processing gate, which Bass described as an entry point for trucks at APM Terminals, represents one of the key sticking points in negotiations that are capturing national attention during the first day of a strike through some of the busiest ports in the U.S., including Mobile.
Will Automation Replace Jobs? Port Workers May Strike Over It. - The New York Times (nytimes.com) Sept. 2, 2024
When a dockworkers’ union broke off contract talks with management in June, raising the likelihood of a strike at more than a dozen ports on the East and Gulf Coasts that could severely disrupt the supply chain this fall, it was not over wages, pensions or working conditions. It was about a gate through which trucks enter a small port in Mobile, Ala.
The International Longshoremen’s Association, which has more than 47,000 members, said it had discovered that the gate was using technology to check and let in trucks without union workers, which it said violated its labor contract…
The truck gate at Mobile, operated by APM Terminals, a division of Maersk, the Danish shipping giant, has existed since the terminal opened in 2008. It uses a combination of digital scans and checks performed by I.L.A. members, according to a person familiar with its operations, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the gate because of the fraught state of contract negotiations.
Whether the use of automated machines is significantly reducing demand for union labor is unclear.
Automation increases the cybersecurity risk in our critical infrastructure… which includes our ports.
The Latest: Maersk's terminals still crippled in cyberattack | AP News - June 28, 2017
An official with the Alabama State Port Authority, James K. Lyons, says crews at the Maersk’s APM terminal in Mobile, Alabama, have been loading and unloading containers in manual mode, without the normal computerized coordination. Lyons says the APM operation at Mobile handles 1,000 to 1,500 cargo containers each day. Other terminals aren’t affected…
Whoever is behind the global cyberattack centered on Ukraine, they’ve made $10,000.
Hackers breached computer network at key US port but did not disrupt operations | CNN Politics September 23, 2021
The incident at the Port of Houston is an example of the interest that foreign spies have in surveilling key US maritime ports, and it comes as US officials are trying to fortify critical infrastructure from such intrusions.
“If the compromise had not been detected, the attacker would have had unrestricted remote access to the [IT] network” by using stolen log-in credentials, reads the US Coast Guard Cyber Command’s analysis of the report, which is unclassified and marked “For Official Use Only.” “With this unrestricted access, the attacker would have had numerous options to deliver further effects that could impact port operations.”
Cyberattack at Port of Seattle is the latest example of increasing threats to critical infrastructure – GeekWire August 26, 2024
“Threats to ports are growing, said Michael Morgenstern, partner with DayBlink Consulting, a firm that specializes in cybersecurity. He pointed to the DP World hack in November that disrupted Australia’s biggest ports operator; the huge Maersk attack in 2017; and an attack at the Port of Houston in 2021.
Morgenstern said two different attacker populations are responsible: criminal enterprises and nation-states.”
Biden is boosting cybersecurity at US ports, where online attacks can be more ravaging than storms | AP News - February 21, 2024
“In the U.S., roughly 80% of the giant cranes used to lift and haul cargo off ships onto U.S. docks come from China, and are controlled remotely, said Admiral John Vann, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard’s cyber command. That leaves them vulnerable to attack, he said.
What the White House has to say:
FACT SHEET: Lowering Prices and Leveling the Playing Field in Ocean Shipping | The White House February 28, 2022
The President is announcing an historic agreement between the Department of Justice and the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) to make sure that large ocean freight companies cannot take advantage of U.S. businesses and consumers. Right now, three global alliances, made up entirely of foreign companies, control almost all of ocean freight shipping, giving them power to raise prices for American businesses and consumers, while threatening our national security and economic competitiveness.
Most traded goods—everything from the housewares you buy online to the agricultural products American farmers market overseas—are transported by ocean freight companies. These companies have formed global alliances—groups of ocean carrier companies that work together—that now control 80% of global container ship capacity and control 95% of the critical East-West trade lines. This consolidation happened rapidly over the last decade. From 1996 to 2011, the leading three alliances operated only about 30% of global container shipping. Significant consolidation occurred in the years running up to the Pandemic.
FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Announces Initiative to Bolster Cybersecurity of U.S. Ports | The White House - February 21, 2024
“Today, the Biden-Harris Administration will issue an Executive Order to bolster the security of the nation’s ports, alongside a series of additional actions that will strengthen maritime cybersecurity, fortify our supply chains and strengthen the United States industrial base. The Administration will also announce its intent to bring domestic onshore manufacturing capacity back to America to provide safe, secure cranes to U.S. ports – thanks to an over $20 billion investment in U.S. port infrastructure under President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda…
The security of our critical infrastructure remains a national imperative in an increasingly complex threat environment. MTS owners and operators rely on digital systems to enable their operations, to include ship navigation, the movement of cargo, engineering, safety, and security monitoring. These systems have revolutionized the maritime shipping industry and American supply chains by enhancing the speed and efficiency of moving goods to market, but the increasing digital interconnectedness of our economy and supply chains have also introduced vulnerabilities that, if exploited, could have cascading impacts on America’s ports, the economy, and everyday hard-working Americans.”
Statement from President Joe Biden on the Negotiations Between USMX and the International Longshoremen’s Association | The White House - October 01, 2024
Maersk Foreign Ties
CIMC abandons $1bn deal for Maersk’s refrigerated container arm (ft.com) August 25, 2022
US Department of Justice planned to sue to block move over antitrust concerns as it cracks down on Chinese deals
China International Marine Containers has abandoned plans to acquire Maersk’s $1bn refrigerated container manufacturer after the parties learned the US Department of Justice was planning to sue to block the deal.
The US authorities had planned to take action because the deal would have generated excessive market concentration, potentially leading to higher prices, lower quality and poorer innovation, said those informed about the matter.
US authorities have been cracking down on Chinese deals as concerns grow that Beijing poses a national security risk.
Maersk Q1 Earnings Drop By More Than $700 Million From Russia - Bloomberg May 04, 2022
Maersk nears complete Russia exit after selling logistics sites (yahoo.com) February 20, 2023
“Maersk still needs to sell four tug boats under its Svitzer brand, a process that is ongoing, a spokesperson told Reuters. After that, Maersk will not have any business in Russia.
In August last year, Maersk sold a 30.75% stake in Russian port operator Global Ports Investments to Russia's largest container operator Delo Group.”
Office of Public Affairs | Maersk Line to Pay Us $31.9 Million to Resolve False Claims Allegations for Inflated Shipping Costs to Military in Afghanistan and Iraq | United States Department of Justice January 3, 2012
Automation of the Road Gate Operations Process at the Container Terminal—A Case Study of DCT Gdańsk SA (mdpi.com)
EFFICIENT PORT GATE AUTOMATION A VALUE-ADDED PERSPECTIVE FOR TERMINAL OPERATORS pdf (porttechnology.org) Summer 2017
Will there be a post on the deliberate destruction of western North Carolina and its people?