Argentina reopens ports after pilots trap 150 ships

On Aug 5, 2026

3 August 2022, ISTANBUL, TURKIYE – The first shipment of over 26,000 tons of Ukrainian food under a Black Sea export deal was cleared to proceed today, towards its final destination in Lebanon. General atmosphere of first JCC inspection at Razoni ship. A joint civilian inspection team comprising officials from the Russian Federation, Türkiye, Ukraine and the United Nations visited the merchant vessel Razoni this morning. Checks on cargo and crew were conducted on behalf of the Joint Coordination Centre, set up under the Black Sea Grain Initiative signed on 22 July. This marks the conclusion of an initial “proof of concept” operation to execute an agreement between the Russian Federation, Türkiye, Ukraine and the United Nations. Three ports in Ukraine are due to resume the export of millions of tons of wheat, corn and other produce at a time of global food insecurity. The Razoni arrived at anchorage in Istanbul yesterday evening after sailing from Odesa port on August 1, as the first commercial vessel carrying grain under the Black Sea Grain Initiative. The initiative facilitates the export of food and fertilizer from Ukraine under close monitoring. The team carried a 1.5 hour inspection and confirmed that crew and cargo are as authorised and consistent with the information the JCC received before the vessel sailed from Odesa. The joint inspection team had the opportunity to discuss with the crew and gain valuable information on the vessel's journey along the maritime humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea that was agreed by the JCC. The JCC will use this voyage in its ongoing work on fine tuning procedures and processes to enable the continuation of safe passage of commercial vessels across the Black Sea under the initiative.

Argentina reopens ports after pilots trap 150 ships

Argentina has suspended a controversial overhaul of its pilotage regime after industrial action brought much of the country’s maritime trade to a standstill and left more than 150 ships waiting to move.

Port and river pilots resumed accepting assignments on Tuesday evening following an agreement with the government that includes a temporary suspension of Decree 690/2026, a 20% reduction in pilotage charges and the creation of a joint working group to review the reforms.

Ships are now beginning to move, although clearing the backlog across Buenos Aires, the Paraná-Paraguay waterway and Argentina’s principal maritime terminals is expected to take time. Local estimates of the number affected ranged from 140 to 185 vessels.

Nearly 3m tonnes of cargo were caught up in the disruption, including corn, soyabeans, wheat, agricultural products and fuels. Private estimates put potential losses at as much as $100,000 per vessel per day.

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Some ships were redirected to Montevideo and ports in southern Brazil as pilotage services became unavailable at Buenos Aires, Dock Sud, La Plata, Zárate-Campana, Bahía Blanca and Quequén.

President Javier Milei’s government introduced the decree last week, arguing that regulations dating from 1991 had restricted competition and inflated logistics costs.

The reform opened the register of qualified pilots, introduced maximum tariffs, loosened rules governing pilot boats and reduced the circumstances in which vessels must employ a local pilot. Certain foreign masters would have been permitted to navigate without one after demonstrating local knowledge and English-language competence.

Pilots argued that the changes threatened navigation safety on some of South America’s most difficult and commercially important waterways

Source: Splash247.com