The stoppage of activity and pickets block more than 90,000 tons of cereal and derived products carried by ships in Escombreras
At least three ships remain anchored and one more is docked without being able to unload its cargo in the Port of Cartagena, due to the national strike and the blockade of the exit of goods carried out by dozens of carriers, organized in pickets.
During the morning, heavy trucks circulated in a caravan along the CT-34 motorway to the roundabout at the entrance to the CLH factory, where there were also pickets on foot and strong surveillance by the Civil Guard. From there they did the opposite route to return to the beginning of the route and repeat it. In this way they hindered the traffic.
All the ships affected by this blockade carry solid bulk, especially cereals and derived products, which need heavy vehicles to be taken to their destination. Hence the inability to download. The ‘Fortune Trader’ arrived on the 14th with 67,000 tons of corn and has been at the solid bulk dock ever since. She belongs to the Ership company as the ‘Thalis’, which is waiting outside the industrial dock with 3,000 tons of fertilizer. This ship arrived on the 13th.
The Bergé consignee has two other ships also anchored in port waters. These are the ‘BCVanessa’, which arrived on the 17th, with 22,000 tons of wheat flour on board, and the ‘Antjek’, which arrived on the 13th with 3,000 tons of soybean flour.
Sources from the two affected companies indicated that the merchandise is still on board the ships, because the unloading operation is done through hoppers that carry the merchandise to trucks. It is not possible to take it to a warehouse in any other way and there are currently no HGVs available.
From Erhip and Bergé they added that each day of inactivity supposes “millions in losses”, due to not being able to supply the transported product and due to the delay in making new previously arranged shipments. Both merchants trust that the conflict will decrease in intensity on Monday and that will allow operations to resume.
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