At least 18 ships faced delays loading grain and oilseed cargoes at Argentina's Quequen port due to a protest staged by a small group of truckers, according to port data seen on Thursday.
The truckers began a strike on April 7, blocking access to the Bahia Blanca and Quequen ports, demanding higher freight rates after fuel prices rose nearly 30 per cent this year due to the Middle East conflict.
According to port data updated through Wednesday, the vessels were waiting to load a total of 159,000 tonnes of sunflower seed, 109,000 tonnes of corn, 99,000 tonnes of barley and 92,000 tonnes of wheat.
Argentina is the world's third-largest exporter of soybeans and corn, and a key global supplier of wheat and sunflower seed. The Quequen terminal handles 20 per cent of the country's soybean exports.
Destinations for the delayed vessels include Vietnam, China, Brazil, Malaysia and Spain, among others.
(Reporting by Maximilian Heath; editing by Cassandra Garrison)
