West Coast Sailors

The Sailors’ Union of the Pacific celebrates its 141st anniversary after being organized on March 6, 1885, on Folsom Street Wharf in San Francisco. A meeting of about three hundred seamen at 7:30 P.M. gathered to consider what steps should be taken toward forming a permanent protective union at once.

Matson Inc. released preliminary financial results for the fourth quarter of 2025, reporting stronger-than-expected performance driven by resilient demand across its core Pacific shipping routes and continued strength in its logistics division. 

In other news, a U.S. Navy fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone that approached the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Strait of Hormuz on Feb. 3, according to Pentagon officials, in the latest sign of rising tensions in one of the world’s most strategically vital waterways.

For nearly two years, the Suez Canal, one of the world’s most vital maritime chokepoints, saw a dramatic decline in container ship traffic as carriers rerouted around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope in response to security threats in the Red Sea. This disruption reshaped global supply chains, added cost and time to shipments between Asia and Europe, and forced shipping majors like CMA CGM and Maersk to significantly alter network patterns.

Global trade is projected to surpass $35 trillion for the first time in 2025, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, marking a 7% increase over 2024 even as geopolitical strains, higher logistic costs, and weakening late year demand weigh on momentum. 

In other news, a rare and sweeping appeal to the private maritime sector, the U.S. Coast Guard has issued a request for proposals seeking existing commercial vessels for lease or contractual service. 

After 43 days of shutdown, the U.S. federal government reopened November 13th, when President Donald Trump signed into law a funding extension stemming from a bipartisan deal in Congress. The legislation restores government operations after the longest federal shutdown in U.S. history.

As the U.S. federal government enters a second week of shutdown with no end in sight, the fallout is intensifying across agencies, workers, public services, and the economy. Congressional gridlock over funding packages has turned essential services into flashpoints, leaving federal employees in limbo and the public navigating confusion over disrupted programs.