Dock strike over arms shipments names Nhava Sheva among 113 ports

Unions in 22 countries are holding a one-day strike at ports on Friday, 30 October, protesting the use of port facilities for arms shipments². More than 25 unions are taking part at 113 ports, according to Splash247¹. The organisers' list includes Nhava Sheva in India, Hamburg, Valencia, Le Havre, Algeciras, Piraeus, Genoa and Morocco's Tangier Med². Splash247 described it as one of the largest coordinated port labour mobilisations in history¹.

India: named, but not confirmed shut

Nhava Sheva sits at Navi Mumbai and is run by the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority. It handles around 50% of the containerised cargo volume across India's major ports³. Organisers said about a dozen Indian ports could be disrupted and that the Water Transport Workers Federation of India (WTWFI) supports the action². Reuters reported that it was unclear how many dockworkers would take part or how severe any disruption would be². Neither the Reuters report nor Splash247's account carried a JNPA, terminal operator or shipping ministry statement confirming a stoppage^2, 1.

Reuters said the strike was originally called by unions in Italy, France, Greece, Spain's Basque Country, Turkey and Morocco². Germany's ver.di, Ireland's SIPTU, Denmark's 3F and France's CGT Ports et Docks are among the groups backing it².

What is actually stopping in Europe

At Piraeus, dockworkers said they would stop work from 0800 to 1100 GMT, and other Greek unions planned 24-hour stoppages, with ferries staying in port². The port warned of disruption to ferry services to the Greek islands². Italy's Unione Sindacale di Base called a 24-hour general strike, with protests in more than 40 cities². A spokesman for Genoa's port said it expected only a limited impact².

Organisers say the action could disrupt over 40% of Mediterranean cargo and more than $2 billion worth of freight. Those claims have not been independently verified².

Why dockers are acting

In May 2026, dockworkers' unions from over 35 European countries published the Istanbul Declaration, demanding that port facilities not be used to transport weapons destined for war zones². Europe became the world's biggest arms importer over 2021 to 2025, data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute showed earlier this year². "Our ports have become replenishing and forwarding bases for war and genocide," unions said at a press conference announcing the strike².

WTWFI representatives put the toll among Indian seafarers from the US-Israeli war with Iran at about 15 dead, and said many more were stranded at sea². Splash247 said the action had expanded from a smaller mobilisation involving 20 ports across seven countries¹.

What to watch

Separately, the Pacific Maritime Association said the strike deadline for ILWU Local 26 watchmen at Los Angeles and Long Beach is likely to be pushed to 4 November⁴. The immediate test for India will be whether normal gate hours and vessel berthing resume on Saturday. Carriers' contingency notices for India-Europe and India-Med services are the other signal to track.