Avoiding port chaos: How Lineage helped keep $10M in product moving
August 25, 2025
Case Study Snapshot
Issues Addressed
- Labor strike at East and Gulf Coast ports
- Nearly 50 refrigerated containers stalled at port
- Escalating risk of product loss and port penalties
- Urgent need for multi-site cold storage and freight coordination
Overview
When a port labor strike brought operations to a halt, a seafood importer was left with $10M in frozen product stuck in limbo. With penalties mounting and timing critical, they turned to Lineage to help navigate the disruption.
Prepared for port disruptions
When the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) launched a strike on October 1, 2024, operations at East and Gulf Coast ports came to a standstill. These ports handle a large portion of U.S. food imports and exports, so the effects of a disruption in the supply chain are felt immediately.
One of our customers, a seafood importer, had nearly 50 containers of shrimp, lobster tails and other frozen seafood products sitting at the port. Port-centric operations are particularly sensitive to delays and with each passing day, the risk of product loss and port penalties grew. Refrigerated cargo can’t sit idle for long without real consequences.
Port strike hits: 50 containers stalled and $10M at risk
The longer the containers remained stuck at the port, the more complicated things became. Fees were mounting. Product integrity was on the line. Our customer had over $10 million worth of seafood in limbo and limited time to act.
They didn’t need long-term planning. They needed fast execution from a team with port expertise. That’s when they turned to Lineage.
Rapid deployment: how staffing up accelerated the response
Lineage activated a network-wide response, drawing in team members from multiple facilities to support the effort. Additional staff at the port helped move containers faster, while backend teams worked throughout the weekend to open up space, coordinate site logistics and streamline freight movement.
To give a sense of scale: a Lineage team can unload a fully sorted, 3,600-case container in less than three hours. Multiply that speed across dozens of containers, and the time savings added up.
72 containers moved in 3 days
With timing at the forefront, we worked closely with the customer’s carrier to start moving freight to our Newark-area facilities. We activated multiple temperature-controlled warehouses across the region, optimizing for capacity, proximity and transportation.
As shipments rolled in, our warehouse teams were ready. Every container was unloaded, palletized, wrapped and prepped for the next leg of distribution. This wasn’t just about execution, it was about meeting a moment of crisis with visibility and trust.
“When port operations are disrupted, it’s stressful for all supply chain participants. Thankfully, we were able to pair our extensive knowledge of our customer’s business with the deep experience of our team members. I’m proud of how our team cleared these containers quickly to get our customers back to their normal course of business.”
— Michael Bowman, VP, Regional Sales
We helped our customer get ahead by providing:
72 containers cleared from port
2.8 million pounds of premium seafood protected
$10M+ in inventory kept safe and moving
Preparedness and resilience are the real differentiators
Supply chain disruptions don’t wait for a convenient time to strike. But when you’re working with a partner built for speed and flexibility, you don’t have to scramble. Lineage is there to take the wheel.
At Lineage, our scale isn’t about size for its own sake; it’s about providing reach, options and resilience for our customers. When something unexpected hits, like a labor strike, a policy change or even a natural disaster, Lineage teams are already in motion. We connect the dots quickly, with warehousing, transportation and visibility systems working together to keep the cold chain moving.
Because in moments like this, readiness makes all the difference.
