Argentinian grain port nears return to normal activity after storm

Activity at Argentina's Bahia Blanca commercial grain port began to normalise on Monday after a severe storm disrupted operations on Friday, a port board member told Reuters.

The terminals are expected to be back to full normal operations on Tuesday, the port officer added.

The port city of Bahia Blanca, southwest of the capital Buenos Aires, is the second largest grain terminal in Argentina, although well behind the Rosario port conglomerate, in the Santa Fe province.

On Friday, more than 300 millimeters (11.8 inches) of rain fell within a few hours in Bahia Blanca, causing severe flooding that killed at least 16 people and left severe structural damage in the city located some 600 kilometres (400 miles) from the capital.

"It is estimated that tomorrow (Tuesday) the port will be 100 per cent operational because grain trucks are already entering," Dolores Valdemoros, a member of the board of directors of the Port of Bahia Blanca, said in an interview.

"Ships are starting to enter. They are doing some tests to see if everything is ok," she added.

In Argentina, a key global grains exporter, many ships complete their loading in Bahia Blanca after passing through Rosario. In January, 980,460 tonnes of grain were loaded in Bahia Blanca, according to data from the port.

(Reporting by Maximilian Heath; Editing by Bill Berkrot)