France, Oct. 30 -- Friday's strike, originally called by dockworkers' unions in France, Italy, Greece, Spain's Basque country, Turkey and Morocco, is now backed by more than 25 unions in 113 ports.

The protest is expected to target major shipping hubs across Europe and beyond, including Le Havre, Dunkirk and Calais in France, Hamburg, Valencia, Algeciras, Piraeus and Genoa, as well as Morocco's Tangier Med and India's Nhava Sheva.

Organisers say it could disrupt over 40 percent of Mediterranean cargo and over $2 billion worth of freight.

In France, ports will be "95 percent shut down" on Friday, said Tony Hautbois, secretary-general of the hardline CGT Ports and Docks union. Workers have been instructed not to load or unload any cargo....