By AltaMar News Editorial Staff
@AltaMar.News
The new port captain of Nueva Palmira, Nicolás Suárez, took the helm of that port terminal managed by the National Ports Administration (ANP), announcing that he will study the expansion of the barge berth and the extension of the Ultramar pier.
Suárez was accompanied by the vice president, Constante Mendiondo, the board member Jorge Gandini and the prefect Jorge González, among other members of the organization and representatives of companies and operators.
He received the support of the ANP authorities and the representatives of the private companies, who valued his training in the sector, alluding to his title as a fishing, cabotage, and waterway captain from the Nautical and Fishing program of the Escuela Técnica Superior Marítima. They conveyed to him the challenge involved in the projection of the country’s second most important commercial port, for which it was considered necessary to improve the port infrastructure, which will result in better services.
In a conversation with Altamar News, Suárez announced that steps have been taken for the purchase of equipment to renew the ANP’s barge berth and the possibility of extending it will be studied.
There, the barges are generally operated by nationally flagged vessels or tugboats. He also mentioned that he has reviewed reports supporting the extension of the Ultramar pier. It requires appropriate fenders.
He also assessed that the coastal pier would need improvements. Barges operate there and, occasionally, a tugboat docks, depending on the priorities set by the port authority.
Suárez had previously told this portal about his willingness to involve educational institutions in the department. He stated that students from the Escuela Técnica de Reparaciones, Construcciones Navales y Anexos, of the UTU Carmelo, can learn about the operations of this port and its strategic importance for the country and the Paraguay-Paraná waterway.
In the three terminals, one public and two private, of Corporación Navios and Ontur, 1,500 workers perform tasks per year. He pointed out that Nueva Palmira is an important generator of job sources in a town of 10,000 people, and that this should be enhanced.
“With good coordination and all actors working together, progress can be made in the short term,” Suárez confided.
