A bank has collapsed along the Parana River, Latin America’s grain superhighway, forcing ships to travel with around 20% less cargoes.
Reuters reports that dredgers are working in the Parana to the south of the Rosario grain port complex to try to restore the necessary depth of water for export traffic, but they are unable to put a timetable as to when the dredging will be completed.
The water level on the river has already fallen to a near 50-year low, creating difficulties for bulk carriers navigating the waterway.
Elsewhere in South America Brazilian port workers are starting to fall ill as the coronavirus pandemic reaches one of the continent’s busiest shipping hubs.
At least three privately-run terminals Brazil’s Santos port have registered two cases each of Covid-19 in the past two weeks, according to Bloomberg. The financial newswire is also reporting that two boxships that have arrived at Santos in recent days are in quarantine with confirmed cases of Covid-19 among their crews.
