At Seattle’s Harbor Island, thousands of the containers are under careful scrutiny.
The Longshore Union says the danger is real – and that’s why they are refusing to handle these refrigeration units, known as reefers.
“The danger is the reefers exploding,” says Chris Peeler of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.
The union says the concern is they don’t know exactly why the containers have exploded. There’s a belief that instead of freon, workers in Vietnam replaced it with propane or possibly kerosene or butane.
The union ordered a halt to handling all 8,500 containers until they’ve been cleared as not having been through Vietnam. All others are pulled aside and quarantined.
“We’re not allowing them to leave the terminal so there’s nothing that’s unsafe on the roads,” says Peeler.