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DETROIT — With a strike deadline looming, the group representing East and Gulf Coast ports is asking a federal agency to make the longshoremen’s union come to the bargaining table.

Some 45,000 dockworkers at every major eastern and Gulf coast port are threatening to strike Oct. 1.

With the recent deployment of two massive, all-electric harbor cranes, the Port of San Diego is about two-thirds of the way from reaching its ambitious zero-emission targets.

About 45,000 dockworkers along the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts are threatening to strike on Oct. 1, a move that would shut down ports that handle about half the nation’s cargo from ships.

A $90 million Port of Galveston infrastructure project launched this summer aims to add 30 acres and a long berth by 2026, enabling the Texas facility to handle one-third more cargo.

Supply chain improvements for trucking are underway at the Port of Halifax in Nova Scotia in a multimillion-dollar venture to create a data hub and digitize container terminal operations.

U.S. ports are reporting record gains for this time of year with volumes being boosted by school supplies and an earlier-than-normal peak shipping season.

Demurrage is a fee attached to cargo that has overstayed its time at a terminal. These fees can be enforced by port officials. Depending on the vendor, terminal, warehouse or container station, fees and policies can vary.

The busiest port complex in the U.S. is churning through import volumes near the highs set during the pandemic despite worries about a cooling economy.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo recently announced the award as part of $6.9 million in economic development grants to Texas for workforce training and port improvements.