Province administration drafts tender to concession container terminal at Argentina’s Port of Santa Fe

Argentina’s Santa Fe province is preparing the tender terms to grant a private concession for the container terminal at the Port of Santa Fe, as officials seek to bring in an operator with the capital and management capacity to scale up a facility they say remains underused.

Governor Maximiliano Pullaro and Productive Development Minister Gustavo Puccini led a new meeting of the Provincial Productive Roundtable to advance guidelines for the upcoming bidding process, local outlet Portal Portuario reported.

Officials said the central plan is to concession the terminal to a private operator under a model that preserves public oversight while promoting investment, operating efficiency and cargo generation.

The project envisages an initial 20,000 square meters, with an option to expand by a further 10,000 square meters depending on performance, and is based on existing infrastructure that authorities say is ready for immediate use.

Key elements expected in the tender documents include setting an appropriate concession fee, contract terms long enough to amortize investments, mandatory investment commitments, concrete cargo throughput targets and state monitoring mechanisms.

Draft terms expected in 60-90 days

Provincial officials said that despite operational infrastructure and a strategic position on the Paraguay-Paraná waterway, the terminal has been underutilized due to the lack of an operator capable of delivering investment and management scale.

Pullaro said the provincial administration has a responsibility to provide clear rules and credibility, arguing that the process will affect the confidence of productive sectors and Santa Fe’s ability to compete on equal terms with other Argentine ports.

Puccini said there is broad institutional consensus on the port’s potential and called full activation of the terminal a strategic decision for the current administration.

He said the province has already taken steps including investments in electrical infrastructure, outreach to provinces such as Córdoba and Tucumán, and contacts with private operators, which he said supported the decision to move forward with a public tender.

Puccini said drafting the tender terms will take between 60 and 90 days, and stressed the need to set conditions that ensure an active operation in a competitive landscape, particularly against ports in Buenos Aires province.

Source: Alta Mar News

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