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Operations at Argentina’s Bahia Blanca port resume after truckers end strike

Five days of roadblocks by truckers at the Argentine grain port Bahia Blanca came to an end on Thursday, clearing the way for grain cargos to enter the port terminals. The truckers were protesting for higher wages and had denied entry to the port of any grain-carrying trucks.

Although “normality has returned” to the port, Carlos Sosa, a member of the board of the Bahia Blanca Port Management Consortium, said the truckers have stated they may resume the protest in 72 hours if their wage demands are not met.

The Bahia Blanca port has recently experienced higher-than-usual volumes, as some grains that would normally ship from Rosario, on the Parana River, are being transported by truck to the ocean port because of the river’s low water level, then added to the ships to make up full loads.

Gustavo Idigoras, head of the local CIARA-CEC export and soy-crushing company chamber, said the extra trucking has significantly raised logistics costs for the crops. He said the truckers’ demand for more money at this time is “extortionate.”

Kim Biggar

Kim Biggar started writing in the supply chain sector in 2000, when she joined the Canadian Association of Supply Chain & Logistics Management. In 2004/2005, she was project manager for the Government of Canada-funded Canadian Logistics Skills Committee, which led to her 13-year role as communications manager of the Canadian Supply Chain Sector Council. A longtime freelance writer, Kim has contributed to publications including The Forwarder, 3PL Americas, The Shipper Advocate and Supply Chain Canada.
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