The industrial action at Canadian west coast ports has disrupted some C$7.5 billion (US$5.6 billion) worth of cargo.

The estimate by the BC Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) covers over 10-day strike action by the International Longshore and Warehouse (ILWU Canada).

"ILWU Canada leadership have even banded together with US West Coast port workers who say they will refuse to work containerships that were rerouted from Port of Vancouver to Port of Seattle — further damaging the reliability and competitiveness of West Coast ports up and down the coast," said BCMEA on reports that dockworkers in the US West Coast ports will not handle ships diverted from Vancouver and Port Rupert to other nearby ports.

Rob Ashton, president of ILWU Canada, has accused employers — including some of the world's shipping lines — of filling their coffers during the Covid-19 pandemic when ocean shipping rates saw record profits.

The Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME) earlier estimated that disruptions from industrial actions at Canadian west coast ports could be worth C$500 million (US$381 million) a day.