The crisis stemming from the paralysis of the pilotage and river pilotage service has gained a decisive institutional position in the national economic scenario. The Chamber of Private Commercial Ports (CPPC) — an entity that brings together the terminals where the bulk of Argentine foreign trade is processed and dispatched, with a strong presence in the Industrial Belt and the Trunk Navigable Waterway — issued an official statement warning that the operational halt “seriously threatens foreign trade” while at the same time supporting the need to modernize the system along the lines set by the Executive Branch.
In the document released this August 2026, the port companies pointed out that the interruption in vessel maneuvers “is not an isolated sectoral dispute, but a direct and immediate brake on the national economy,” directly affecting the inflow of foreign currency, the land transport of grains, and the country’s reputation with international buyers.
The four critical impacts denounced by the ports
The CPPC detailed the severity of the scenario generated after the suspension of services by professionals in rejection of Decree 690/2026:
- Paralysis of Foreign Trade and inflow of foreign currency: The accumulation of anchored vessels interrupts the outflow of grains, oils and meals, immediately halting the flow of dollars to the Central Bank.
- Breakdown of supply chains: The halt at the docks generates a domino effect that paralyzes cargo transport (trucks and railways), collapses storage capacity in plant silos, and threatens the supply of industrial and energy inputs.
- Financial penalties: Exporters suffer costly contractual penalties for failure to meet agreed loading windows, in addition to the extraordinary logistical extra costs of ship immobilization.
- Reputational damage and diversion of vessels: They warn that operational unpredictability encourages the diversion of vessels to regional ports (such as Uruguay or Brazil), damaging Argentina’s image as a reliable origin.
They support Decree 690 and state that safety is not affected
Unlike the harsh criticisms raised by the unions of Pilots, Captains and River Pilots, the Chamber of Private Ports reaffirmed the need to apply the deregulation promoted by the government of Javier Milei and Federico Sturzenegger.
“That the decision of a small group of providers can completely paralyze Argentine foreign trade demonstrates that the line drawn in favor of greater competition, transparency and review of rigid schemes is the correct path to give competitiveness to our regional logistics,” the text stresses.
Likewise, the port entity challenged the arguments of the professional associations regarding the alleged nautical risk that the new regulatory framework would introduce: “We recognize the technical competence and professionalism of the pilots. However, it is not accurate to claim that deregulation compromises operational safety: in practice, no shipowner, captain or insurance company will operate or move a vessel in complex waterways without the proper professional support on board.”
Urgent call for a Negotiation Table
Faced with the worsening of the conflict — which already includes formal summons from the Naval Prefecture via the Official Gazette and warnings of framing under the Criminal Code — the CPPC urgently and urgently urged the National Government and the representatives of pilotage to form a Negotiation Table.
The priority objective set by the owners of the private terminals is to guarantee the immediate normalization of the service and navigability in all the country’s ports, allowing the regulatory and modernization discussions of Decree 690/2026 to be channeled within a framework of predictability, institutionalism and consensus.