“The Trunk Navigable Waterway begins a new era of private management with a reduction in production costs: the national government signed the concession contract.”
This was the headline used by the National Agency of Ports and Navigation (ANPYN) in the statement announcing the start of operations by Jan de Nul and Servimagnus as the new concessionaires for the dredging and maintenance of the Hidrovía. This follows the victory of the consortium formed by both companies in the corresponding tender.
In this context, in recent hours the user entities of the “fluvial highway” — through which more than 70% of Argentine exports depart — highlighted the importance of signing this contract and the beginning of this new stage. There are high expectations that it will improve the competitiveness of all exporting agro-industrial chains.
THE HIDROVÍA, A “STRATEGIC INFRASTRUCTURE”
Specifically, the Rosario Stock Exchange (BCR), the Chamber of the Oil Industry of the Argentine Republic – Grain Exporters Center (CIARA-CEC), the Chamber of Private Commercial Ports (CPPC), and the Chamber of Port and Maritime Activities (CAPyM) issued a joint statement highlighting the signing of the concession contract for the Trunk Navigable Waterway.
“It is a strategic infrastructure for the competitiveness of Argentine foreign trade,” they emphasized.
In this regard, they acknowledged the decision and the management carried out by national authorities, within the framework of the policies promoted by President Javier Milei’s Government, which made it possible to complete the tender process and open a new stage for the operation, investment, and continuous improvement of the system.
“31 years after the last tender for the Trunk Navigable Waterway, the signing of the new contract represents a major milestone for the national logistics system and for the main export route of Argentine production to the world,” they celebrated.
They also particularly valued the instances of participation and exchange developed during the process, which allowed technical contributions from users to be channeled and helped strengthen the transparency, predictability, and institutional strength of the procedure.
Faced with this new stage, the entities also reaffirmed their willingness to continue collaborating in the relevant institutional spheres, contributing their operational experience regarding the needs of the system and its users.
At the same time, they reiterated the need to move forward with the elimination of factors that distort the activity they represent — such as the Value Added Tax — and with the implementation of the Trunk Navigable Waterway Control Council.
“This body will be key to accompanying the implementation of the contract, the development of the committed works, the quality of the service, the evolution of tariffs, environmental management, and the continuous improvement of the Trunk Navigable Waterway,” they concluded.
WHAT THE NEW HIDROVÍA CONCESSION LOOKS LIKE
For its part, ANPYN, when announcing the signing of the contract, emphasized that it is “a very important step toward the modernization of the main fluvial transport route for Argentine foreign trade.”
Among other positive aspects, the Agency highlighted that with the start of the new concession, an automatic 13.5% reduction in the waterway toll comes into effect, while works begin on deepening the channel and incorporating technology for more modern and safer navigation.
One of the priority objectives is to allow vessels to depart in less time with greater cargo from the ports of origin. This will significantly reduce export costs, directly impacting the competitiveness of Argentine productive and industrial sectors.
“The privatization marks the end of the state management stage of the strategic waterway through which 80% of the country’s foreign trade flows, giving way to a new era of private investment. In this way, President Javier Milei’s government has managed to resolve what others could not for years and has successfully concluded one of the most technically complex tenders in the country, which received no challenges from the participating companies,” ANPYN highlighted, in a political tone.
On this point, it explained that the winning consortium, Jan de Nul – Servimagnus, completed the required administrative steps for the signing of the contract: the formation of a specific company — Vía Navegable Argentina SA — as well as the transfer of assets from the outgoing state management and the contracting of the workers needed to carry out the dredging, buoyage, and hydrometric recording of the waterway.
“The national government, in turn, will exercise its role as the controlling authority and will move forward with the definitive formation of the Control Council, with the participation of private users and representatives of the riparian provinces, which will monitor every step of the concession,” ANPYN added.
In this way, it considered that “a process marked by transparency and participation thus concludes. This included technical discussion tables with private users and specialists, producers, industrialists, shipping and port sectors, universities, as well as the involved provinces.”
“Likewise, the entire process was accompanied by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which guaranteed compliance with the best international practices for the tender,” it reviewed.