The Navigation Center (CN) reported that the General Directorate of Customs (DGA) granted a 10-month period to ensure the continuity of lightering and transshipment operations in the operational strip between kilometers 172 and 173 of the Paraná Guazú River, left margin.
The measure comes after a request made by the entity following Customs’ decision to suspend, at the beginning of the month and for a period of 30 days, the authorization to operate at kilometer 171 of the Paraná River, a site historically used for lightering and transshipment of goods.
Normal Operations
According to the Navigation Center, activities will proceed normally until the expiration of the established period, or until the completion of the authorization procedures or what is defined in the bilateral working group, whose meeting date is still pending.
The purpose of the deadline is to provide operational predictability to the sector while progress is made in the administrative regularization of operations in the indicated stretch.
In due course, the Center requested the DGA to notify the exact start date of the 10-month period, to properly inform its members and allow them to coordinate their operational schedules. Additionally, it expressed its willingness to hold a meeting with the customs authority to analyze the scope of the measure and its impact on the sector.
Operational Context
The stretch of the Paraná Guazú between km 172 and 173 is strategic for lightering and cargo transshipment operations, especially for oceangoing vessels that must split or transfer volumes due to draft restrictions or to optimize their port calls.
Any modification affects the logistical planning of the waterway, where waiting times and costs are decisive.
The definition of a clear deadline provides temporal certainty but also underscores the need to establish a stable authorization framework to avoid future disruptions in the use of this stretch. The announced bilateral working group could be the appropriate forum to agree on long-term regulatory and operational criteria.
