Puerto Quequén handles first Vaca Muerta-related project cargo

Puerto Quequén confirmed it handled the discharge of its first project cargo shipment linkedtied to Argentina’s Vaca Muerta oil and gas field, unloading heavy anchors and chains bound for an offshore terminal at Punta Colorada in an operation led by state energy company YPF.

Port officials described the vesel call as a milestone for a terminal better known for grain exports, arguing the move supports a strategy to diversify cargo and insert Quequén into national energy logistics. Mariano Carrillo, head of the Puerto Quequén management consortium, and operations manager Gustavo Gavilán visited the Giro 10 berth area during the discharge to monitor the maneuver and the handling plan for oversized equipment, the port said.

The ship BBC Odesa berthed at Giro 10 carrying 12 large anchors and 12 heavy chains for the Vaca Muerta Oil Sur (VMOS) project, tranche 2, run by VMOS, according to the port. The equipment is intended for an offshore terminal under development at Punta Colorada, it said.

The cargo will be staged at the ALN Nequén logistics yard, which the port said is being positioned as a platform for renewable-energy cargoes and Vaca Muerta-related projects. Each anchor weighs about 43 tonnes and measures roughly 7.8 meters long by 4.9 meters high, while each chain weighs about 73 tonnes and extends 400 meters, the port said.

The transport to Punta Colorada will be carried out in phases by the offshore support vessel Skandi Hera, which is expected to move six anchors and six chains on its first trip and return for the remaining equipment. The port said two voyages are planned for late May, reflecting the complexity of conditioning, lifting and preparing the cargo for onward movement.

Carrillo said the operation underscores YPF’s role in large-scale logistics tied to strategic energy developments, and argued the project will translate into jobs and economic activity. He said the discharge should be seen as the start of a broader shift in the port’s operating profile rather than a one-off call.

Puerto Quequén said it is also advancing infrastructure works, including a full repair of Almirante Brown Avenue as part of a road-safety corridor and studies for sand replenishment aimed at mitigating coastal erosion, as it seeks to strengthen port-city integration while expanding its cargo base.

Source: Puerto Quequén

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