A tentative agreement between a dockworkers union and a shippers association was announced Wednesday night, averting a Jan. 15 strike deadline that experts said might have been tough to endure. No details about how the proposed pact were announced between the International Longshoremen’s Association union and the United States Maritime Alliance,

A massive strike across the U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports has been averted after a dockworker union and an alliance of companies, terminal operators, and port associations negotiated a new labor contract.

The United States Maritime Alliance said on Wednesday it reached a tentative agreement on a new six-year master contract with the International Longshoremen’s Association.