EMERYVILLE, Calif. (KRON) -- The federal government shutdown has entered its second month, leaving 35 Vessel Traffic Service operators in the San Francisco Bay area working without pay. These essential workers remain on duty to monitor maritime traffic following a funding lapse that began on Saturda y. The ongoing stalemate in Congress involves disputes over Department of Homeland Security funding, with Democrats seeking reforms following incidents involving border agents and civilians. As the shutdown continues, maritime experts are raising concerns about the potential impact on safety and the economy in one of the nation's busiest shipping regions. Scott Humphrey, the executive director of the Marine Exchange of the San Francisco Bay Region, described the operators as the "eyes in the sky" for the region. Humphrey previously spent 30 years in the U.S. Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Service on Yerba Buena Island. "These VTS operators are the eyes in the sky watching over them," Humphrey said. He noted that while no errors have been reported yet, the 12-hour shifts and lack of pay could eventually lead to safety issues. "There's no evidence of that, there's been no mistakes that I know of, but it's just common sense that if folks are working 12 hours a day and driving to and from work and they got kids and families... not being paid is probably impacting their concentration," Humphrey said. The VTS operators function similarly to air traffic controllers, guiding tankers, ferries and cargo ships through heavy traffic and narrow channels. Without these workers, experts say it would be impossible to monitor ship movements safely. "For ships, it's even more important because if a ship gets past a point of no return and surprises another ship is coming toward them, it can be a really dangerous situation, that does not happen because of these pilots and because of the VTS operators," Humphrey said. Woman, 28, killed in San Rafael encampment stabbing The safe movement of these vessels is critical for the agricultural industry, which relies on ships to export food and import materials such as hydrous fertilizer and aircraft fuel. Humphrey noted that the crops grown along Interstate 5 are often bound for international markets. "Driving down Interstate-5 going to Los Angeles, and you see all the crops growing on both sides of the highway, all of those crops produce the food that we eat in the United States and many around the world, that food is exported on ships," Humphrey said. The Port of Oakland is the largest container shipping port in Northern California and serves as a primary supply hub for Hawaii and Guam. Humphrey explained that any disruption to shipping could affect the delivery of basic provisions to those islands. "Many don't know this, but Hawaii, Guam, they get their provisions from our Port of Oakland. If the Port of Oakland can't send out ships, Hawaii and Guam don't get the provisions for their day-to-day life, the Walmarts… the Targets," Humphrey said. Local residents have called for a swift resolution to the funding dispute. Michelle Clinton, a resident of Emeryville, said the government needs to prioritize cooperation to end the stalemate. "I just think they need to start focusing on working together and he wants to make the country great; well, we need to start at the top where he is," Clinton said. The duration of the shutdown remains contingent on when Congress can reach an agreement regarding Department of Homeland Security funding. Future operations and payroll for essential maritime workers will depend on upcoming congressional action. All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KRON4. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat information into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KRON4 staff before being published. ...read more read less