BRAZILIAN customs officers
have gone on strike "indefinitely", which potentially will disrupt
cargo flow at seaports, airports and bonded warehouses for weeks.
Sources told The Loadstar of
London that "green channel" cargo will be cleared in primary zones,
but cargo, which requires clearance will not be released. Brazil's airport
operator, Infraero, expects congestion at airports and an impact on cargo
capacity. Cargolux described the situation as being currently
"stable," with transit cargo suffering most. Port terminals will also
be challenged, and may not accept cargo.
The global shipping agency
Inchcape's Brazil manager Francisco Villagran said civil servants of the
"auditor class" sent a letter to Brazilian President Dilma Vana
Rousseff requesting a hearing and informing her of the strike.
"In the meantime
customs started several strikes at a small scale in different ports as a
pressure measure to demonstrate their position and the effects they can cause
over the national economy in case their requirements are not met," he
said.
Mr Villagran, whose company
regularly publishes news of shipping troubles worldwide, said strikes of
different sizes and manners had affected normal port operations in most of
Brazil's major ports, including Santos, Paranagua, Salvador, Manaus, Santarem,
Santana and Itacoatiara.
Customs officers have
informed industry stakeholders that they will strike two days a week and go
slow on other days, resulting in delays.
Union leaders say the strike
will be effective because more than 50 per cent of Brazilian GDP is generated
through ports.
Source : HKSG, 28.06.12.
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