MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Argentine maritime workers ratify ‘random blockade’ of British vessels
The Argentine Confederation of Transportation Workers (CATT) ratified on Wednesday that it would randomly block British ships from docking on Argentine ports, in response to the UK’s refusal to negotiate the Malvinas Islands’ sovereignty. Read full article
Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesIn other words 'we have had it pointed out that if we actually do anything at all we will plunge both the country and ourselves into truly deep shit......deeper than at present.... so we won't be doing anything'
Feb 16th, 2012 - 05:33 am - Link - Report abuse 0Amazing what a knock in the door in the middle of the night can achieve in Argentina.
Has this guy ever worked in his life or is he another lazy union leader who wants a gvt handout :-)
Feb 16th, 2012 - 07:45 am - Link - Report abuse 0It shows that Argentina doesn't want to trade with the developed world. I'm sure there are millions of other people in other countries around the world who would like goods to be transported and delivered on British-registered ships. I suppose this is what you get when you get the unions running stuff. Oh well!
Feb 16th, 2012 - 08:06 am - Link - Report abuse 0Omar Suárez : “Hi everyone, here in Argentina we're mostly closed for trade.”
Feb 16th, 2012 - 08:09 am - Link - Report abuse 0*chain smoking*
It's always good to read Mercopress first thing to read about the latest madness to emanate from the excitable state.
Feb 16th, 2012 - 09:18 am - Link - Report abuse 0Sri Lankan and Maltese shipping owners must be scratching their heads at the latest logic.
Wonder how much he gets paid by cfk's “malvinas” slush fund?
Feb 16th, 2012 - 09:37 am - Link - Report abuse 0Just proves they are a mad bunch of ignorant people......... ban all Country's from going into your ports that would be just fab............Xmas comes early :-)
Feb 16th, 2012 - 09:44 am - Link - Report abuse 0Can the people in Argentina not see what the plastic dog is doing...diverting attention from their debt.......she only started harping on about us when we discovered oil....money grabbing bitch
Am bemused at this one, after all, if a ship is delayed in port doesn't the port authority then have to pay a fine for the delay. Am sure that's how it works in most countries.
Feb 16th, 2012 - 09:49 am - Link - Report abuse 0Anyway, the simple response to this would be to boycott argentine ports and encourage all commonwealth countries to do the same, since they are effectively threatening commonwealth countries ships with these delays too. Afterall Argentina stands to lose more than we do for this.
@8 'Am bemused at this one, after all, if a ship is delayed in port doesn't the port authority then have to pay a fine for the delay.'
Feb 16th, 2012 - 10:01 am - Link - Report abuse 0Not quite but pretty close.... the charterer pays the shipowner demurrage... so the charterer, the cargo owner, the grower of the soy or the wheat....they all pay at the end of the day.... no skin off the shipowner's nose.....
If they hold up the discharge of a big LPG tanker the demurrage is megabux.... paid for by the RG government I guess as they are the owner of the gas company in RG land...
@8 Is this 'pseudo-random' selection not-unloading exercise based upon whether or not you are carrying LPG?
Feb 16th, 2012 - 10:01 am - Link - Report abuse 0I don't think we need to sink to their level over this. It's hard enough for Argentina to get credit in realistic terms in order to import goods. So the longer this blockade goes on, the less likely companies are going to take the risk of exporting to Argentina. The result is simply that no one will export to Argentina and will look for markets elsewhere in order to sell their goods. Argentina will then have to import more from Brazil to make up for this, and currently they're doing a lot of importing from Brazil making the trade deficit far worse.
Well done Argentine maritime workers! Keep up the good work.
This did make me laugh, its a economic blockade of their own economy!
Feb 16th, 2012 - 10:15 am - Link - Report abuse 0All commonwealth countries stop supplying Argentina and what is even funnier is its during warnings of an energy crisis.
Brilliant! You really couldn't make this up!
“Random blockade” = we might try to do the odd one (if we can be arsed), but don't be surprised if we do nothing at all, because we have no idea where any of these ships come from anyway, and in the past we've targeted the wrong ones.
Feb 16th, 2012 - 10:17 am - Link - Report abuse 0“It will take British ships six hours to dock and six hours to leave port.” = we're going on an efficiency drive to try to speed things up.
“as well as convenient ships,” which would include vessels from Georgia, Malta, Jamaica, Honduras, Sri Lanka and Bermuda.”
What have Malta, Jamaica, Honduras and Sri Lanka got to do with anything? They are all fully independent countries and only Jamaica still has QE2 as head of state. Honduras is a former Spanish colony (maybe he is confusing it with the former colony of British Honduras, which became Belize)! And what does he mean by “Georgia”? Is that the State of Georgia or the country of Georgia in the Caucasus? Does South Georgia actually have any ships with their flag.
What a numpty. Sounds like he's pulled a 70 year old atlas off the shelf and randomly chosen some of the pink bits.
Where are the Argentine posters - conspicuously absent? Do they support this effort?
Feb 16th, 2012 - 10:20 am - Link - Report abuse 0I did think the article was an early April Fools Joke as Omar Suarez looks a lot like Freddie Starr.
Feb 16th, 2012 - 10:45 am - Link - Report abuse 0Since discovering this isn't an early April Fools Joke, it must mean that a 'random blockade' sounds like they can't be bothered to do their jobs.
Lazy, lazy lazy!
@13 I too would like to see if any Argentinians support this move
@12 Georgia and state of Georgia always seem to get dragged into these arguments by Argentina. It's like Hawaii (Sandwich Islands) seem to suffer too, especially with the union flag sat in the corner of their state flag.
Feb 16th, 2012 - 10:48 am - Link - Report abuse 0It's amazing what even a modicum of education would do to enlighten these folks about the world.
Has anybody looked at the net figures? Argentina ships a lot more in dollar terms to the uk than we do to them. Well done Argentina-another brill bit of economics!
Feb 16th, 2012 - 11:14 am - Link - Report abuse 0Wonderful news for Argentina, this numpty has now in one foul swoop designated the population to even more poverty than they already have. Now they will have hardly any ships coming in to be unloaded. Fucking amateurs.
Feb 16th, 2012 - 11:44 am - Link - Report abuse 0We know they're not unloading ships bearing a seemingly random collection of flags, but have they said anything about loading them?
Feb 16th, 2012 - 12:04 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Surely that would be hypocrisy if they were.
Are the CATT currently in a wage or other dispute with the CFK government? It's so daft I'm wondering if there's something going on in the background.
Feb 16th, 2012 - 12:42 pm - Link - Report abuse 0No,
Feb 16th, 2012 - 12:43 pm - Link - Report abuse 0this is akin to a union worker phoning in sick to avoid losing pay when he is expected to come out on strike.
CFK knows that an official banning of British-flagged vessels would exceed the levels of tolerance of the outside world.
This is her way of racking up the ante without taking responsibility. “It was not me, it was the descamisados”.
Wildcat: anarchic social and economic disruption.
The British were used to the tactic in the 60s, and Thatcher trimmed their whiskers.
Expect unexpected and subtle restrictions on Argentinian trade.
You have to feel sorry for the man on the Argentinian street.
Fergal Keane who is an Historian recently reported from Buenos Aires on the sovereignty dispute for the BBC and here is the link to his report:
Feb 16th, 2012 - 12:45 pm - Link - Report abuse 0http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-16735042
21 - its amazing that the RG's just cnat see how this looks to the outside world. the complete denial of their colonialist actions and intentions is frankly staggering and shows me how brain washed their whole nation is over this.
Feb 16th, 2012 - 01:04 pm - Link - Report abuse 0BTW Buenos Aires looks like a nice city. I bet its a cracking place to visit - providing of course you arent a gringo....
Remember this fits with the narrative of CFK blocking imports. The problem is ships don't just drop off they pick up too. So this is going to delay exports. These people are so short sighted and dumb. It will blow up on them when someone powerful is expecting a shipment and it is delayed. The union leader will get a “message” delivered most likely it will be shockingly brutal. People have died for much less in this vile country.
Feb 16th, 2012 - 01:25 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I really hope this numbnut and his cronies start turning away the LNG (they are not LPG) carriers because they will just sell the stuff to another LATAM country because the winter is coming.
Feb 16th, 2012 - 01:52 pm - Link - Report abuse 0The LNG traders will then put a premium on Argentina trade - IF they trade at all.
This could all 'blow up' (pardon the pun) in CFK's face (that would be a sight).
“It will take British vessels six hours to dock and six hours to leave port, promises union leader Omar Suárez ”
Feb 16th, 2012 - 02:07 pm - Link - Report abuse 0They're speeding up from their current performance by fourfold then. That's frightfully nice of them.
What’s the point of accepting UN mediation, then start more blockading and threats, is this not self defeating,
Feb 16th, 2012 - 02:34 pm - Link - Report abuse 0And humiliating in front of the wider world,
For a nation that claims peace, you have a funny way of showing it,
Insulting your selves.
.
I think the Argentines should take the Tibetan approach to this gross violation of their territorial integrity. CFK should lead by example.
Feb 16th, 2012 - 03:13 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@ 26 briton
Feb 16th, 2012 - 04:14 pm - Link - Report abuse 0what do you think Britain is doing to Iran? - a country that is threatening nobody, has never attacked any of its neighbors and isn't occupying disputed territory.
Britain has imposed a blockade On Iran. It Will not export, will not Import and has banned any UK bank from handling Iranian cash for oil transactions which is driving the Iranian people into an economic catastrophe.
Maybe you are hoping Iran will attack your ships blockading the straits of Hormus so you can launch a blitz on their cities and do what you did in Iraq when it spiralled into a human tragedy resulting in the deaths of over 500,000 civilians and the exile of another two million.
@28 Hmm... forgetting that Iran said it wanted to wipe Israel off the map and then blaming all of Iran's issues on the British. How very PressTV of you.
Feb 16th, 2012 - 04:21 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“Maybe you are hoping Iran will attack your ships blockading the straits of Hormus ”
Feb 16th, 2012 - 04:34 pm - Link - Report abuse 0What the hell are you smoking? Iran threatened the blockade of Hormus. Our ships allow free travel in the area.
We have decided to stop trading with iran, something any country is free to do. We are not blockading the country. Sure you know what that word means?
The old “Iran never attacks anyone” nonsense.
Feb 16th, 2012 - 05:00 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Never heard of Hezbollah?
@Idle
Feb 16th, 2012 - 05:17 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Self-immolation? CFK? Seriously? The amount of plastic in that one it'd be an environmental disaster if she did.
Iran? - a country that is threatening nobody, has never attacked any of its neighbors and isn't occupying disputed territory.
Feb 16th, 2012 - 05:41 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Iran-Iraq Border Battles -(1969-1970)--Disputes over the Shatt al-Arab waterway, claimed by both nations, led to hostilities in the late 1960s. Iran supported a rebellion by Iraqi Kurds until 1975, when the Shah and Saddam Hussein reached an agreement
Iranian Seizure of Gulf Islands -(1970-1980)--Iran occupied several Persian Gulf islands claimed by the United Arab Emirates.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/video/2012/feb/16/sean-penn-falklands-prince-william-video
Feb 16th, 2012 - 06:45 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@34 ... and he's very proud of his mansion on land stolen off the Mexicans. We know, we know.
Feb 16th, 2012 - 07:08 pm - Link - Report abuse 0The fact is Prince William is just doing a job, which is rescuing Vietnamese people bobbing about in the harbor.
28 dreyfoss
Feb 16th, 2012 - 07:13 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Why is it, that according to argie bloggers and CFK Britain is the sole agitator and cause of all the worlds’ problems,
Is this not just anti British [again]
Britain is only a small cog in a wider wheel, with sanctions on IRAN,
Britain was also part of a coalition when it came to Iraq , afghan , Libya ,
And besides, what has this got to do with Argentina, are you supporting Iran then ??
.
@ 29 GreekYoghurt (#)
Feb 16th, 2012 - 07:16 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Ahmadinejad never said ' Israel should be wiped off the face of the map'
It was a mis-translation and has been recognised by such by every credible media source and the UN. Challenge me and I will post the links.
@33 stick up your junta
Iranian Seizure of Gulf Islands -(1970-1980) This was a temporary siezure because it was suspected that the UAE had agreed to allow the USA to install a missile base there. The dispute was settled between the two countries and Iran withdrew.
Iran-Iraq Border Battles -(1969-1970) Incited by Iraq. The dispute was ended by agreement that neither would control the shat-al-Arab waterway.
Iran supported a rebellion by Iraqi Kurds until 1975. Iran has traditionally supported the Kurds against the persistent persecution they have suffered at the hands of Turkey and Iraq - especially under Saddam when he used chemical weapons against them - weapons made using chemicals supplied by the Europeans.
30 zethe (#)
Iran made that threat because you imposed trade sanctions and now a full embargo including a banking freeze which stops Iran from selling its oil which is forcing Iran into a situation of desperation the object being to incite them into making the first act of violence against the vast array of warships that are now arrayed against them.
Anybody with half a brain can see that.
Oh by the way. Britain had to beg the Americans to let them send a ship to the Gulf as part of the task force. It seems the USA didnt think that britain could make any real contribution now that you have so few ships.
http://warnewsupdates.blogspot.com/2012/02/britain-begs-to-be-part-of-iran.html
Oh yes - even worse news. It appears you dont have an army anymore either.
http://warnewsupdates.blogspot.com/2012/02/britain-begs-to-be-part-of-iran.html
@37 I never said he said it. If you read (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/did-ahmadinejad-really-say-israel-should-be-wiped-off-the-map/2011/10/04/gIQABJIKML_blog.html). After he was mistranslated the Iranian government and Rev. guards started putting up notices with the English version.
Feb 16th, 2012 - 07:31 pm - Link - Report abuse 0You might try actually reading what people write, it's a part of being literate.
@ 38 greek yoghurt
Feb 16th, 2012 - 07:36 pm - Link - Report abuse 0This is what you said in text: “Hmm... forgetting that Iran said it wanted to wipe Israel off the map .......”.
Now you say Iran didn't.
you should ease off on that yoghurt sweety as it's fuddling your brain lol
Poster 37; if you think it appears the UK don't have an army you either need improved reading and/or comprehension skills either than or you are choosing to be stupid.
Feb 16th, 2012 - 07:38 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Also as for the begging, that isn't nothing but a rumor, its not being verified in any sort of fashion even if some trash rags are reporting to that effect.
These are the posts that destroy any semblance of credibility you may of had.
Iran? - a country that is threatening nobody, has never attacked any of its neighbors and isn't occupying disputed territory.
Feb 16th, 2012 - 07:40 pm - Link - Report abuse 02011 Iran-Iraq cross-border raids were a series of operations, performed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), against the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK), a Kurdish rebel group. The operations began in July 2011,[13] and have included attacks on PJAK bases in Iranian territory, penetration into Iraqi Kurdistan territory, bombing of PJAK associated bases and villages in Kurdish controlled Iraqi areas and direct targeting of Kurdish guerilla command in Qandil mountains. The clashes resulted in dozens killed and wounded on both sides, with hundreds of displaced Kurdish villagers. The exact numbers of casualties on each side are a matter of controversy.
Omar Suárez and the members of his trade union are themselves colonialists. They are Spaniards whose ancestors migrated to someone else's continent and stole their land and their gold.
Feb 16th, 2012 - 07:52 pm - Link - Report abuse 0So I suggest this. The United Kingdom should withdraw recognition of the Argentine passport and allow Argentines to enter the country only if in possession of a passport issued by Spain, which is the country where they belong.
If Spain won't issue them a passport, tough!
@ 41 stick it up your jumper
Feb 16th, 2012 - 07:57 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Yes and guess what? Both the USA and Turkey (NATO) actually assisted the Iranians in their attacks on the PJAK -
”n 16th July 2011 Iran’s army attacked Iraq’s Kurdistan. These attacks are still going on. The reason given for these attacks is that Iran claims that a Kurdish political party (PJAK) holds its headquarters there. But suffocating PJAK isn’t the only reason why Iran is attacking Iraq’s Kurdistan – it’s also secretly hoping for the abolition of Kurdish autonomy. According to UN rules, the USA, as a conqueror, must defend the Iraqi border. But the USA remains silent and takes no action against these Iranian attacks. In addition to this, the USA is in tight collaboration with Turkey by giving them the exact whereabouts of Kurdish guerilla fighters, first filming them with their newest technological equipment. Turkey then hands this information forward to the Iranian army. Thus, in an indirect manner, Iran and the USA are collaborating, joining their forces against the Kurds. ”
Why am I not surprised....
@39 You're clearly a tiresome illiterate. However, as you're so pathetic, I'll make it very clear for you. If you were able to read, then you'd see that I didn't say Ahmadinejad said it, he was misquoted during the translation into English. However, the iranian government departments and revolutionary guards did use the english mistranslation, knowing fully well what it meant. 'Iran' and 'Ahmadinejad' are not the same thing.
Feb 16th, 2012 - 07:58 pm - Link - Report abuse 0You're not a very good advert for Argentine education, and that's for sure.
@ 44 greek trifle
Feb 16th, 2012 - 08:01 pm - Link - Report abuse 0LOL - If I were you I would stop before you dig an even deeper hole for yourself
@44 Hmm.. it seems the strategy in Argentina when you've lost an argument by putting up opinion against fact, you then turn to projected psychological denial in order to create a world in your head where your opinion was right.
Feb 16th, 2012 - 08:31 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Sadly for the rest of us, we think you're basically an imbecile. But if you want to keep pushing your opinion as fact, then feel free.
@46. Careful GreekYoghurt, I wouldn't describe Dreyfoss as an 'imbecile', more like a 'fascist pig'.
Feb 16th, 2012 - 08:55 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Iranian Bombing Suspects Targeted Israeli Diplomats, Thailand Police Say
Feb 16th, 2012 - 09:07 pm - Link - Report abuse 0http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-15/thai-police-say-israeli-diplomats-in-bangkok-targeted-by-iranian-bombers.html
Iranians arrested after blasts on a Bangkok street aimed to attack Israeli diplomats, and the devices used were similar to bombs targeting Israelis in India and Georgia this week, according to Thailand’s police chief.
Iran defence minister forced to leave Bolivia over 1994 Argentina bombing
Iran's defence minister was forced to leave Bolivia during a diplomatic trip after Argentina demanded his arrest in connection with the deadly 1994 bombing of a Jewish centre in Buenos Aires.
Suárez then said that the boycott would include British ships “as well as convenient ships,” which would include vessels from Georgia, Malta, Jamaica, Honduras, Sri Lanka and Bermuda.
Feb 16th, 2012 - 10:43 pm - Link - Report abuse 0explain please,
is he saying they will blockade ships from these countries as well,
??????
This article had omited several key statements made by Suárez.
Feb 17th, 2012 - 04:42 am - Link - Report abuse 0@50 OK feel free to share them....
Feb 17th, 2012 - 04:52 am - Link - Report abuse 0@50 He seemed to be saying that he wanted to do his bit to make a first-world deep water port in the Falklands financially viable
Feb 17th, 2012 - 07:39 am - Link - Report abuse 0... and to that we give our thanks.
Political 'wildcat' strikes by the Argentine Confederation of Transportation Workers (CATT) will bring its own problems to Argentina but, to answer people's questions:
Feb 17th, 2012 - 09:10 am - Link - Report abuse 0The Argentinian gentleman might have specified the Flag of Convenience main players : Panama, Liberia, Marshall Islands, Bahamas, Cyprus, Malta, Antigua, Bermuda, but that would REALLY have shot the country in the foot.
Instead, he cited, alongside the ‘British Flag’, Georgia, Malta, Jamaica, Honduras, Sri Lanka and Bermuda - various of the rag-bag collection of non-ratifiers of the SOLAS (Load Line) treaty, the ILO147 (Minimum Standards) Convention, and the MARPOL (pollution) protocol.
You can understand this – these legislations are important to his profession but, were he being consistent, he should also have cited Bolivia – but this would have been ‘inconvenient’.
British flagged vessels are, of course, fully compliant of ALL international maritime regulations, and are a model for the Argentinian marine to follow.
@53 Maybe the inclusion of Bolivia was the omission that @50 was talking about. However, that would involve discussing the Bolivian desire to grab land off the Chileans, peacefully of course.
Feb 17th, 2012 - 09:46 am - Link - Report abuse 037 - Right so now we dont have any ships and we are a disgrace. last week we militarized south america with our new super destroyer that was on a routine replacement on a like for like basis with another ship. So make your mind up. It leads me to think that the Argies were spinning the deployment of dauntless for propaganda purposes surely not!!! Facts are that this is argies worse mistake damaging not only their fragile inflation racked economy but is seen by rest of world as aggressive and illegal. And dont mention the whole of SA is with you, recent press releases from various countries tend to disagree.
Feb 17th, 2012 - 09:02 pm - Link - Report abuse 0HMS Dauntless is still at portsmouth,
Feb 17th, 2012 - 11:44 pm - Link - Report abuse 0so another humilating lie from CFK, and you bloggers belived it,
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