Argentina’s main waterway for moving grain exports faces a threat of being blocked by labour action, according to the Buenos Aires Herald.
The threat is mounted by a union, The Centre of River, Fishing and Maritime Cabotage Captains and Officers, which says its very existence is threatened by a government bill under consideration.
The union says that if the Merchant Navy and Shipbuilding Industry Bill is voted into law it would consider a full strike, affecting all port push boats, most sand ships and tanker ships that load and unload fuel in the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway.
That could impact international trade and seriously hamper the Greater Rosario Port Complex, one of the world’s leading food exporting hubs.
Some import and export trade from Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay also depends on the waterway.
