A spate of bad weather is affecting shipments of copper from Chile, the world's leading producer of the metal, a top executive said Friday.
"This is a major problem which is stopping us from loading and shipping our minerals," said Nelson Pizarro, CEO of Chile's state copper producer Codelco.
Heavy swell has closed many of Chile's most important ports for much of May. Ports across northern Chile, including those used by copper producers Antofagasta, Codelco and Collahuasi, among others, were closed four days from May 16.
The alert was extended May 21 to ports throughout central and northern Chile, including the country's largest San Antonio and Valparaiso, and remained in place until Thursday.
Ports throughout Chile were operating normally again Friday, but it is expected to take several days for the situation to normalize.
An indefinite strike by customs officials, which began Wednesday, could cause further delays.
Last year, Chile exported 5.9 million mt of copper, including cathode, concentrates and blister, of which 47% went to China, 11% to Japan and 9% to South Korea.
The closure of major ports for extended periods could hinder the ability of Chilean mining companies to fulfill commitments to clients.
"It upsets the sales plan because the vessel cannot dock to be loaded. We hope we can ship normally again from the summer in order to comply with budgeted sales," Pizarro said.
