While any port can handle any type of goods, some ports are specialized to handle goods for a particular industry.

A massive port strike up the East Coast that began on Tuesday has the potential to become one of America’s most disruptive work stoppages in recent times.

The strike by the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) union has blocked goods from food to automobile shipments across dozens of ports from Maine to Texas, a disruption that analysts warn will cost the economy billions of dollars a day.