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West Coast port operators will halt vessel loading and unloading this weekend, the latest sign that the long-running labor contract strife there is intensifying.

The top negotiator for West Coast terminal operators and ocean carriers said the region’s docks are nearing “complete gridlock” and raised the prospect of a lockout in as few as five days unless a contract deal is reached.

The Port of New York and New Jersey, third largest in the United States, set a record in 2014 for cargo volume with 3.3 million containers handled, which was 4.1% above the previous record set in 2012, port officials said.

WASHINGTON — Tremendous trade growth in future years will exacerbate congestion at U.S. seaports unless innovation can keep costs from rising to the point that they endanger market share, experts said during a Transportation Research Board panel here.

Federal mediators last week entered the slow-moving West Coast port labor talks in an effort to speed an agreement, as unseasonable delays continue to plague Southern California’s freight network.

West Coast dockworkers asked that major employers on the board of the Pacific Maritime Association join in contract negotiations that have stretched over seven months.

Southern California’s largest ports, Los Angeles and Long Beach, which handle 40% of U.S. imports, are taking steps to reduce cargo congestion that has slowed the delivery of goods across the country.

Volume at the neighboring Southern California ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles was mixed, with Long Beach’s rising to its busiest November since 2007 and Los Angeles’ declining the same month.

Volume at the neighboring Southern California ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles was mixed, with Long Beach’s rising to its busiest November since 2007 and Los Angeles’ declining the same month.