Buenos Aires province ports post strongest export volumes in 15 years

Ports in Argentina’s Buenos Aires province ended 2025 with their highest level of export activity in 15 years, driven by a surge in crude oil shipments from Coronel Rosales, the end of a drought that lifted grain flows, and new measures at Dock Sud that sharply increased container throughput, according to the provincial government’s latest Port Monitor report.

The report, published by the Buenos Aires Province Ministry of Production, Science and Technological Innovation, said overall bulk cargo throughput across the province rose more than 17% year on year. Grain volumes climbed more than 23% as drought conditions eased, it said.

Crude oil exports from Coronel Rosales totaled about 7.8 million tonnes in 2025, up 81.3% from the previous year, the report said.

In the city of Coronel Rosales, run by Mayor Rodrigo Aristimuño, authorities said work is underway on what they described as one of Argentina’s most strategic projects to move, store and load Vaca Muerta crude onto larger ships. The province said a joint effort with energy company Oiltanking Ebytem (Otamérica) added new storage tanks, new berths and upgraded infrastructure, lifting crude throughput in the south of the province by 17%.

Dock Sud, meanwhile, benefited from the addition of two new shipping services after Buenos Aires Province captured a route previously served via Montevideo, provincial ports official Juan Cruz Lucero told local newspaper Buenos Aires/12. As a result, Dock Sud, now headed by Monica Litza, increased container throughput by 71% versus 2024, the report said.

The Buenos Aires province said these initiatives fit within Governor Axel Kicillof’s broader port strategy, now formalized through five-year plans for each of the province’s port consortia. Weeks ago, officials presented the plan for La Plata, which targets investment in infrastructure, logistics and IT upgrades over the next five years.

Across 2025, the eight main provincial ports — San Nicolás, San Pedro, Bahía Blanca, Quequén, La Plata, Coronel Rosales, Dock Sud and Mar del Plata — handled 57.9 million tonnes of cargo, nearly 5 million tonnes above the 53 million tonnes recorded in 2022, the previous provincial record, according to the report.

Container throughput totaled 544,693 units in 2025, it said.

The chart below shows container throughput in both the export and import trades, based on data compiled by Datamar’s business intelligence team and made available through the DataLiner platform:

Container Exports and Imports | La Plata | Jan 2023 – Feb 2026 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

The province said 2025 grain exports from its ports totaled 20.8 million tonnes, while crude oil exports were close to 8 million tonnes. “With these results, exports through Buenos Aires province ports registered their best figure in the last 15 years,” the government said.

What the Port Monitor shows

The 2025 report compares performance against 2024 and provides a breakdown of cargo flows across the province’s eight port consortia.

In bulk cargo, Coronel Rosales and Bahía Blanca led the ranking, each accounting for 29% of the province’s bulk throughput, followed by Quequén with 16%, the report said. For containerized cargo, Dock Sud handled 96% of total volumes.

Including cargo sent both abroad and to other parts of Argentina, crude oil was the largest product category at more than 19.5 million tonnes, representing 38% of all cargo moved through the provincial port system, the report said. Liquid fuels and gas ranked second with 15%, while the first grain category appeared in third place: corn at 13%, ahead of soybeans at 9%.

Bahía Blanca and Quequén led grain flows, while Coronel Rosales led crude oil shipments, the report said. Fuels moved mainly through Dock Sud and Bahía Blanca, while fish-related cargo was concentrated in Mar del Plata. La Plata led in chemicals, while San Nicolás and Bahía Blanca ranked first in fertilizers, according to the report.

Vessel calls across the eight ports rose 16.3% year on year to 8,434, with most calls recorded in Mar del Plata, the report said. It added that while Mar del Plata accounts for about 1% of total cargo volume, its cargo profile underpins significant maritime employment.

Dock Sud ranked second in vessel calls with 2,127, followed by Bahía Blanca with 849, the report said.

On inland logistics, the province said truck movements exceeded 1.4 million in 2025, up nearly 28% from 2024. Around 72,800 rail wagons were loaded or unloaded at provincial ports, according to the report.

The report said 47% of cargo arrived by truck and 5% by rail, while the remaining 48% moved via pipelines. Of cargo carried by truck, 65% consisted of grains, derivatives and byproducts, while containers represented 15%. By rail, grains accounted for 79% of volumes, followed by chemical and petrochemical products at 17%, it said.

Source: Página12

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