Trafigura's Bahia Blanca operations resume after brief staff strike

Trafigura’s barge operations in Bahia Blanca were disrupted for a few hours due to a staff strike that began on Thursday morning, a source tells ENGINE.

PHOTO: Trafigura's Bahia Blanca refinery in Argentina. Trafigura

The strike involved workers who manage the berths and those responsible for loading operations. It caused temporary supply challenges in the area.

Operations then resumed later yesterday evening, which minimised the impact on supply.

“The urgency to resolve the situation contributed to a swift resolution,” the source adds.

The main impact was on the loading and replenishing of Trafigura’s two bunker barges, Deltamar IV and Sofia R. Without staff to manage these operations, the barges could not receive fuel and were held up. These barge loading delays had a knock-on effect on bunkering and temporarily reduced local demand for bunker fuel, the source adds.

“Ships that were not able to refuel as scheduled may have sought alternative ports or adjusted their schedules,” he says.

Many vessels call at Bahia Blanca while en route between other significant ports, such as those between Chile and Brazil, making it a minor stop in their journey.

ENGINE attempted to reach Trafigura for further clarification but received no response.

Trafigura refinery operations were not affected by the strike action.

By Debarati Bhattacharjee

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