Labor Dispute Keeps Ship Idle for Fourth Day

A container ship loaded with frozen Australian beef and lamb remained at anchor off Los Angeles on Tuesday as a dispute between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and a shipping line went into its fourth day.

Dockworkers continued to refuse to unload the ship, the Columbus Canada, because of a labor dispute that began in Australia over the use of nonunion workers, parties close to the dispute said.

A spokesman for the German-owned Columbus Line, which operates the ship, said the vessel has fully operational refrigeration equipment that would keep the meat from spoiling.

Los Angeles Harbor spokeswoman Barbara Yamamoto said talks were underway between the union and the Pacific Maritime Assn. to resolve the dispute.

“It is still out at anchor,” Yamamoto said. “We are not sure what’s going to happen with it.”

The ship arrived at the Matson Terminal in the Port of Los Angeles at 5:30 a.m. Saturday, but was turned away by dockworkers. “Matson remained open,” Yamamoto said. “The union members just refused to work on that particular ship.”

A spokesman for the union was not available for comment.

Doug Webster, a spokesman for Columbus Line, said the ship could not unload at other ports on the West Coast because they are all served by the union. The dispute was costing the ship owners $13,000 a day, Webster said.