While the boats have been out of service for about three weeks, port personnel are slowly bringing tankers into harbor, causing a bottleneck.

The NRF praised the two sides for providing certainty for supply chains, and for helping pave the way for modernization at U.S. ports. 

The two sides agreed to continue to operate under the current contract until the union can meet with its full Wage Scale Committee, and schedule a ratification vote.

The anchor was raised to the surface on January 6 and taken for forensic analysis, the National Bureau of Investigation said in a statement the following day.

Sources told CNBC that the discussions largely centered around hammering out language surrounding automation at U.S. ports. 

Diversion of future shipments to West Coast ports would become more difficult and costly if a stoppage was prolonged as ships back-up and remain unloaded, reducing available capacity.

Regular box services to Ukraine started in April when the Ukrainian transport and logistics firm Iteris Feeders launched a service between Constanta and Chornomorsk.

The shipment numbers are another disappointing milestone for Tesla, whose annual global sales dropped for the first time in over a decade.

A subsea power link and four data cables were damaged December 25, after Eagle S sailed over them on the Gulf of Finland.

The planned talks are a welcome sign for importers and exporters bracing for a labor disruption that would shut every major port on the U.S. East and Gulf coasts.