Argentina: Dredging of Barranqueras Port Expected to Be Completed by June 2025

Graciela Alicia Digiuni de Azula, administrator of the Port of Barranqueras, said she expects the dredging works to be completed by June 2025, which will enable the northeastern Argentine river port to resume its logistical operations.

According to ArgenPorts, Azula stated, “Dredging is my biggest challenge, and it’s underway. Work has already started from the river mouth up to kilometer 7, where the Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales (YPF) dock is located. This first phase is expected to be completed by the end of the month.”

With this improvement, Barranqueras aims to reclaim its historic role as a logistics hub in northern Argentina. The Dredging not only ensures navigability but also positions the port as a key link in the Bioceanic Corridor connecting Paraguay, Argentina, and Chile.

“We have strong demand from Paraguay and Chile to use the port as a commercial link. Paraguay needs sea access and sees Barranqueras as a real opportunity,” Azula explained.

She also noted that Paraguay is seeking to export products like sugar, sesame, soybean meal, and soybeans to Asia—and that doing so via the Pacific could significantly reduce logistics time and costs.

In addition to the Dredging, the restoration of the Viateray–Puerto Barranqueras railway branch is in the bidding phase.

“Although the train already reaches the dock, we need to restore this line to good condition to complete the multimodal transport system,” said Azula, highlighting the positive impact of lower logistics costs through the integration of road, rail, and waterway transport.

Customs infrastructure is also advancing. The port is equipped with scanners for trucks and pallets, and final preparations for the customs warehouse are underway. “This week, the last outstanding requirement will be completed,” the administrator noted.

The recent deregulation of cabotage laws, now allowing foreign vessels to operate between two Argentine ports, opens new opportunities for northern ports like Barranqueras. “There are already entrepreneurs interested in bringing in containers or using existing tankers as feeder vessels,” Azula commented.

“We continue operating with wood, coal, and cottonseed, and we’ve begun exporting coal to Italy,” she added.

Azula also recalled that Barranqueras used to be the third most important port in the country, emphasizing its strategic significance. “More than 100 years ago, the port and railway were built with a clear vision. Now, we need to recover that importance,” she stressed.

Source: Portal Portuário

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