Without further comments on the failed tender for the trunk waterway and with a renewed “anti-unitary” lobby descending from the ports of Greater Rosario—which criticize that the ports of Buenos Aires and Dock Sud, in “solitude,” propose a different toll collection scheme that “would harm” the upriver ports—a new session of institutional dialogue between the Government and the private sector took place, this time in Paraná, Entre Ríos.
Iñaki Arreseygor, head of the National Ports and Navigation Agency (ANPYN), and Rogelio Frigerio, governor of Entre Ríos, led the third meeting of these Interdisciplinary Roundtables for the Fluvial Development of the Trunk Waterway (VNT), alongside authorities and representatives from the private sector.
The event also included the participation of international observers from UNCTAD, tasked with overseeing the consultation process and the subsequent drafting of the tender documents. “These observers will closely monitor the process until the selection of bids and the start of the new concession for the country’s main foreign trade artery,” stated ANPYN.
Tariffs, works, and competitiveness
The debate was organized around two main axes: the economic and control structure of the VNT, and the environmental management of its works. Among the conclusions, the need to define a sustainable tariff structure was highlighted, ensuring the continuity of works and the deepening of the waterway without affecting foreign trade competitiveness or national production.
Participants agreed that the future tender document must guarantee a balance between toll revenues and necessary investments, particularly in dredging, beaconing, and the creation of new passing zones and waiting areas, key to reducing navigation times and improving the corridor’s efficiency.
A process under international scrutiny
The Government maintained that UNCTAD’s presence as an observer reinforces the commitment to advancing toward a transparent and participatory tender process, with the highest international standards. The agency announced it would continue technical dialogue with all stakeholders to consolidate a tender document that combines fair tariffs and robust environmental conditions.
Outside the institutional debate, the pressure from the port and agro-export industrial chain, strongly based in Santa Fe, was palpable, as it criticized through Rosario-based digital media the “solitary” stance of the ports of Buenos Aires and Dock Sud, which propose a different toll scheme based on sections.
