May 09, 2018
Damaged Berth at Argentine Port may take 18 Months to Repair
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
The collision of a grain vessel with a pier at the Port of General San Martin near Rosario, Argentina caused more damage than originally estimated. Local port officials now estimate that the berth could be out of service for at least one and a half years or more.
On April 24th, the grain vessel 'Ocean Treasure' registered in Hong Kong, collided with the pier at Terminal 6. There are two berths at Terminal 6. There was extensive damage to the northern berth, while the southern berth remained unaffected.
The cause of the collision remains under investigation and no official cause has been released. Port officials have indicated that the cargo that would normally be shipped out of the northern berth will be redistributed to other terminals.
Terminal 6 was responsible for 22% of the soybean meal exports from Argentina in 2017.