Argentina – Actions against UK linked vessels

As a result of the escalation of events between the Argentine and UK governments regarding ownership of the Falkland Islands, the Argentine Confederation of Transport Workers (CATT) has introduced measures to delay the provision of tug services to vessels arriving or departing from Argentinean ports.

We have received the following information from our local correspondents regarding the measures introduced by CATT:

The local stevedores union (SOMU),  under the umbrella of the Argentine Confederation of Transport Workers (CATT),  has announced that it will stall the loading and unloading of British flagged ships, in response to renewed tensions between the UK and Argentina over the ownership of the Falklands. Recently, a bulk carrier, a chemical and a container ship suffered delays of up to 6 hours on both arrival and departure in local ports.

Unfortunately, the boycott does not seem to be limited to British flagged ships, with CATT delaying entry of a bulk carrier with a Panamanian flag, a chemical tanker with a Singapore flag (but owned by a Norwegian Owner) and a container ship operated by a Danish owner.

According to the head of  SOMU, the objective is to force the UK to negotiate with Argentina over the islands’ sovereignty.

The Secretary of Industry has raised his concern over the measures implemented by SOMU against British-flagged ships.