A soyabean ship has run aground in Argentina's main grains hub of Rosario, the head of the port chamber said on Thursday, slowing exports from one of the world's top food suppliers just ahead of high Southern Hemisphere shipping season. The blockage of 80 percent of Rosario's main waterway started on Saturday, was expected to last until Monday and comes less than a month ahead of main soya and corn harvesting.
The vessel carrying 45,000 tonnes of Paraguayan soyabeans got snagged on the bottom of the Paraguay River's main channel and will be partially unloaded in a bid to regain navigability, Guillermo Wade, manager of Argentina's port chamber said. On top of that logistical complication, Rosario's CGT port workers' union will hold a symbolic work stoppage on Friday ahead of salary negotiations. Inflation clocked by analysts at more than 30 percent is sure to inspire steep wage demands.
CGT chief Edgardo Quiroga told Reuters he will start calling strikes on March 25 if wage talks to not begin by then. Meanwhile, the stranded vessel had not yet been authorised by local customs officials to start unloading. "I expect them to give that approval by tomorrow. Then it should take three days at least to free the ship," Wade said. Meanwhile, he said about 80 percent of Parana cargo traffic is being held up, as bigger vessels are unable to squeeze through the passage left by the stranded ship.
"Only ships that are 120 meters (394 meters) long can get by, but most vessels that are loading here are 150 meters or more," Wade said. "So traffic is getting backed up." Argentina is the world's No 3 corn and soyabean exporter as well as its top supplier of soyaoil, used to make biofuels, and soyameal livestock feed. About 6,000 grains trucks are arriving in Rosario for shipment each day. By this point next month, the port will receive up to 15,000 trucks per day, Wade said, as Argentina's corn and soya harvests start hitting full swing.
"We are starting to get some soyabeans and corn, but the main influx will not start until the first days of April," Wade said. "We are still not in high season, but the main channel has been blocked since Saturday, so we need to get that vessel cleared as soon as possible." Argentina's soya harvest is seen at 54.7 million tonnes, the Rosario grains exchange said this week, cutting its earlier 55 million tonne forecast. The country's corn crop is seen at 22.7 million tonnes, up from a previous estimate of 22 million tonnes, the exchange said in a report released on Tuesday. The Buenos Aires Grains Exchange sees Argentina's 2013 corn output of 23.5 million tonnes and soyabeans at 54.5 million tonnes. The US Department of Agriculture sees Argentine soyabean output of 54 million tonnes this season, with corn estimated at 24 million tonnes.
