Shipping lines turn to Mexico amid strike Shipping lines are diverting to Mexico, slowing vessels down in the Pacific and leaving ships at anchor off southern California as a strike at the US's busiest container gateway causes supply chain disruption expected to last months. Maersk Line, the world's biggest container carrier by fleet size, and Hapag-Lloyd, Germany's biggest container line, said they had diverted some sailings to Mexican ports as a result of the strike, now in its second week, at 10 of the 14 terminals at Los Angeles and Long Beach. Other lines declined to comment but are widely believed to have taken similar steps. The goods will move on from Mexico to the US by either truck or rail. Hapag-Lloyd said it had also diverted some sailings to the port of Oakland, in the San Francisco bay area. But shipping lines say privately they have largely been reluctant to divert to other US and Canadian west coast ports for fear that the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, whose members are on strike in southern California, could refuse to service the vessels. Los Angeles and Long Beach - neighbouring terminals in San Pedro Bay - together handle 40 per cent of the US's container imports, nearly all of them goods coming from China and other Asian destinations. Neil Davidson, ports analyst for London-based Drewry Shipping Consultants, said diversions to Mexico were one of a number of options for lines. Companies were also slowing vessels down in the hope they would arrive after a settlement of the dispute. About 20 vessels were waiting at anchor off the ports, according to the Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor Employers Association. Mr Davidson added that the disruption came at a time when many shipping lines were weighing whether to divert more cargo from Asia to the US east coast after the Panama Canal expands in 2015. "I think there's a lot up in the air at the moment," Mr Davidson said. The strike started on November 27 when clerical staff working for APM Terminals, a division of Denmark's AP Møller-Maersk, walked out in frustration at the deadlock in talks on a new work contract. The workers - part of the ILWU's office and clerical unit section - say employers plan to send some of their work to cheaper, offshore locations. The action quickly spread to other terminals within the port and dockers refused to cross the striking workers" picket lines. Talks to resolve the dispute broke down on Saturday. Two of the groups suffering most from the supply chain disruptions - the National Retail Federation and the American Apparel & Footwear Association - have demanded that President Barack Obama step in to end the strike. President George W. Bush took action to end a 10-day lockout at US west coast ports in 2002.