The five-day protest has affected the arrival of goods into Bermuda by sea and forced one shipping line to charter another container vessel to ensure supplies from the east coast of the United States reach the island.

Port workers temporarily returned to Hamilton Docks on Tuesday and Thursday to ensure that essential items including perishable produce and animal feed from the Oleander and the Bermuda Islander could be unloaded and delivered.

However about 400 full and 200 empty containers remain on the dockside, some of which have been there since last Thursday.

Meanwhile the Oleander and the Bermuda Islander both remain alongside in Hamilton with more than 150 full containers and other cargo on board. Neither vessel can leave until the full containers have been unloaded.

As a result of the disruption the Oleander’s operators, Neptune group, have had to charter another container ship, the MV Birk, to bring in the next cargo of goods bound for Bermuda from the US.

That vessel is expected to arrive in New Jersey on Sunday and make to Hamilton next Tuesday if the weather remains good.

Warren Jones, chief executive of Stevedoring Services Limited, said: “Staff were on-site first thing Thursday morning to tie-up the Bermuda Islander, move the Oleander and discharge essential cargo. “They completed this process by approximately 12pm.

“The Oleander, and now also the Bermuda Islander, sit alongside number 7 and 8 berths in order to be discharged once the present situation is resolved.

“Approximately 150 containers and other cargo remain on-board the two ships.”