The national government has moved forward with the pre-award of the concession for the country’s main navigable waterway to the Jan De Nul-Servimagnus consortium.
On June 5, 2026, following the completion of the audit of the bidding process for the Trunk Navigable Waterway (Vía Navegable Troncal), the national government advanced with the pre-award of the concession for the Paraná-Paraguay Hidrovía to the consortium made up of the Belgian company Jan De Nul and Servimagnus.
The Ministry of Economy announced the decision, highlighting that the new concession will reduce logistical export costs by 13.5% and enable modernization, dredging, and signage works on the main route through which nearly 80% of Argentina’s foreign trade flows.
According to the economic ministry, a comprehensive audit reviewed all aspects of the bidding process—including technical, legal, financial, and environmental issues—and concluded that it complied with current regulations and the recommendations of international organizations.
With the issuance of the pre-award opinion, a seven-calendar-day period has now opened for the submission of formal challenges. Once that stage is completed, the process can move forward to final award and the start of the planned works.
The Difference Was in the Technical Evaluation
The Ministry of Economy explained that the recommendation to award the contract to the Jan De Nul-Servimagnus consortium came from a scoring system developed together with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Although Jan De Nul and DEME NV submitted exactly the same economic offer, the difference lay in the technical evaluation. The pre-awarded consortium scored 66.20 points compared to 42.14 for its competitor—a margin of more than 24 points that tipped the balance.
Both companies had bid tariffs of USD 3.80 for the first section, USD 4.65 for the second, and USD 5.78 for the third, for a total value of USD 14.23 for the entire route.
The future concessionaire will be responsible for 25 years for the modernization, expansion, dredging, and signage of the country’s main fluvial route, without state backing for commercial operation risks.
A Key Route for Foreign Trade
The Trunk Navigable Waterway spans 1,635 kilometers and serves as the main outlet to the Atlantic Ocean for approximately 80% of Argentine exports.
According to official estimates, the new concession will reduce logistical costs by around 15% and fully modernize navigation systems. The contract also includes permanent monitoring mechanisms for investments and service provision.
The Ministry of Economy stated that no formal challenges were filed by participating companies during the entire process and emphasized that judicial complaints aimed at halting the tender were rejected.
It also highlighted that citizen participation instances and public consultations were held in various provinces, where users, companies, and organizations could submit observations and suggestions that were later incorporated into the process.
Finally, the government maintained that the new concession represents “a significant improvement for navigation and the export of products from Argentina” and described it as “an advance that no previous government was able to achieve.”