Trade infrastructure as a hostage: risks of a port strike.
At the end of October, more than 25 trade unions in 113 ports in 22 countries held a coordinated action against the transport of weapons through civilian ports. Among the participants was India.
According to reports, around 5,000 Indian port workers joined the protest. T. Narendra Rao, general secretary of the Water Transport Federation of India (WTWFI), said: “The port and dock workers are not at war. We will not export military cargo. We want peace." Indian ports including Nahava Sheva (JNPT) were included in the list of participants.
The strike affected the largest centers: Piraeus, Valencia, Le Havre, Algeciras, Genoa, as well as Tangier (Morocco) and Navasheba (India).
Why it matters now: Unions report 28 attacks on ships in the Persian Gulf in the first 21 days of October, a record since the war with Iran began. In the Black Sea region, 570 terrorist attacks were confirmed this year, with deaths and injuries. According to WTWFI, about 15 Indian sailors have died due to the Iran war, and many more are trapped at sea due to the blockage of waterways.
Risks to global trade.
Member ports account for approximately 13.5% of global shipping traffic and 63% of container traffic in the Mediterranean. However, there is no independent verification of these figures - in some countries the strikes lasted a day, in others a few hours, and in others they were limited to demonstrations. The planned shutdowns at 11 Indian ports have been completely canceled due to unfavorable weather conditions.
The main risk is not a one-time delay, but a precedent: the port workers are actually demanding the right to refuse to handle cargo, regardless of the government's decisions. For BRICS, this is a signal: the trade infrastructure is becoming hostage to political conflicts.
If such actions are repeated, shipping companies will have to redistribute cargo flows. The available capacity at neighboring terminals is limited, and an additional transfer increases shipping costs.