Indonesia, the world's second biggest natural rubber producer, will resume rubber exports shipments from an earthquake-hit Sumatran port in Padang on October 16, Welly Bastian, a port official said on Wednesday. Padang is the provincial capital of West Sumatra, one of Indonesia's main growing areas, and the scene of a devastating earthquake on September 30 killed at least 1,000 people and destroyed houses, hospitals, hotels and schools.
The Indonesian Rubber Association said a week ago that about 50,000 tonnes of rubber for shipment in October and November was likely to be delayed by 1-2 weeks. West Sumatra produces about 100,000-150,000 tonnes of rubber a year and deliveries to the main port of Teluk Bayur from plantations have already been disrupted by landslides and damaged roads after last week's earthquake.
Bastian said the delay in rubber shipments had been mainly due to congestion following the arrival of vessels carrying humanitarian aid supplies. "We've got one vessel staying in the port as a floating hospital and another as a floating hotel. These two have taken space that would normally be enough for three vessels," Bastian told Reuters from Padang. The port can normally handle six to ten vessels and at the moment the priority was to receive quake relief aid.
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