| Work Detail |
Bidding for the Hydroway: Jan de Nuls competition asked Mileis government for clear rules
An executive from the Boskalis dredging company publicly stated that Argentina can continue with a monopoly or ensure "competitiveness in the next bidding for the navigable canal."
The multimillion-dollar public works contract that Javier Mileis administration will be able to offer in the remainder of the year is the concession for dredging and marking the Paraná-Paraguay waterway. Government officials plan to have the specifications for the international tender ready by December, in which the four most important dredgers in the world will surely participate, while governors and users of the river highway seek to influence the bidding process.
While officials from the Undersecretary of Ports and Waterways, led by Iñaki Arresygor, began to hold meetings with representatives of the governorates interested in the expansion of the main navigation system through which the wealth produced by our nation goes abroad, dredging entrepreneurs who seek to dethrone the Belgian company Jan de Nul begin to make high-sounding statements that foreshadow future legal challenges.
In this regard, Bart Rumes, “Regional Manager for the Western Area” of the Dutch company Boskalis, which is speculated in political circles to have good relations with important PRO leaders, stated that “In Argentina it became almost impossible to obtain a dredging contract in a transparent manner.”
In his speech at the forum “The Future of the Waterway” in Buenos Aires organized by Globalports, Bart Rumes explained, “With our fleet we have obtained dredging contracts in Argentina, such as the one we have been doing for seven years in the Martín García channel, but also in the access channels to the ports of Mar del Plata, Bahía Blanca, Dock Sud, Exolgan and Quequén. We have also been involved in a unique and exemplary project such as the trenching and laying of cables and gas pipelines in the Strait of Magellan, offering a price 30% lower than the second. But all these contracts date back to a time when the country was known for its competitive environment and, then, we could participate in competitive tenders offering lower prices. But today we face the Argentine market as a monopoly and it is almost impossible for Boskalis to obtain a dredging contract based on a transparent and competitive regime, which is the only way we are interested in doing business,” he accused.
The Trunk Navigable Route (VNT), also known as the Paraná-Paraguay waterway, covers a distance of 1,635 kilometers, from kilometer 1,238 of the Paraná River, at its confluence with the Paraguay River, to the deep waters of the outer Río de la Plata.
This system is vital not only for Argentina, but also for Brazil, Bolivia, Uruguay and Paraguay, countries that signed an agreement in 1992 to facilitate navigation and commercial transport through this route.
The tender plan includes the modernisation, expansion and maintenance of the waterway, as well as the operation and signalling of the system. Among the most important tasks is dredging, which is essential to ensure the navigation of large cargo ships.
Since August 2023, the Undersecretariat of Ports and Waterways, under the Ministry of Economy, has been responsible for carrying out the national and international public bidding process for the VNT toll concession regime. The objective is to attract large international operators to manage it, which would reduce logistics costs and improve the competitiveness of exports.
For more than 25 years, the administration of the waterway was in the hands of a private consortium led by the Belgian firm Jan de Nul and the Argentine firm Emepa. However, in September 2021, after the contract expired, the administration of the VNT passed into the hands of the State, through the General Administration of Ports (AGP). Currently, the AGP is responsible for maintaining the services and collecting the toll until the new concession is awarded. |
