Brazil’s ports are suffering from massive backlogs after a series of trucker strikes, which brought the country to a near standstill last month.
In June, 600,000 truckers blockaded highways for 10 days, forcing many ports to reduce capacity or temporarily close.
Concurrent strikes by energy workers, stevedores and customs officials have also worsened the situation and lowered the country’s commodity prices, especially soybeans.
The first harvests of corn entering the supply chain have also caused congestion at Brazil’s ports , leaving them unable to cope with demand.
According to data from MarineTraffic, Santos, Brazil’s biggest port had 28 vessels waiting at anchorage and 32 at berth, while bulk carriers at all ports are suffering waiting times of four to five days.
Read a Port Technology technical paper to see what factors are affecting Latin American ports
In an interview with Lloydslist.com, David Ross, National Manager of Alphamer Agencia Maritim, a Brazilian bulk cargo port and agency specialist, said: “The ports are still feeling the congestion because of the truck strike and we hear there is still a lot of cargo to reach the ports.
“Customs officials are still on strike, but as most clearance processes are handled online this is not having a major impact.”
