Towboat loses 20-barge convoy on Paraguay River, sending units adrift on waterway

Twenty barges broke free from a Paraguayan-flagged towboat on the Paraguay River and drifted into the Paraná River, triggering alerts along the Paraguay-Paraná waterway corridor used to move a large share of Argentina’s exports, industry sources said.

The incident involved the towboat Tendotá, owned by ADM Naviera Chaco, which was pushing a 20-unit barge convoy near Isla Cerrito when the barges became detached, according to accounts from the waterway sector.

The convoy was carrying more than 30,000 tonnes of cargo, including iron ore and soy-derived products — roughly the equivalent of 1,000 truckloads, the sources said.

After an emergency response, four barges were recovered and moored near the incident site, while the remaining 16 entered the Paraná River without control, prompting warnings to other vessels navigating the main channel, known locally as the Vía Navegable Troncal (VNT).

Later, nine barges were reported secured near kilometer 1237 of the Paraná River, five were recovered near kilometer 1228, and one was temporarily moored near kilometer 1240. Another barge ran aground near kilometer 1230, according to the alerts.

Industry accounts cited possible causes ranging from unusual cross-currents near the Confluencia area, where the Paraná and Paraguay rivers meet, to contact with the “green edge” of the navigation channel marked by green buoys.

The Tendotá is expected to begin repositioning the barges once a technical inspector specializing in hull and machinery has cleared the vessel, according to the reports.

Comexonline said the episode raised concern not only over navigational risk but also because some barges drifted close to sensitive river infrastructure. Alerts circulated within the fluvial sector said some units moved near high-voltage transmission towers and cables crossing the Paraná in the area, heightening the severity of the incident.

By Paula Urien for La Nación

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