The company Jan de Nul, contracted for the dredging of the Main Navigable Waterway of the Paraná-Paraguay rivers, known as the Hidrovía, formally explained the reasons behind its resignation, being the first to do so. The company mentioned an intense media campaign against it to harm its participation and decided not to participate due to the high risk of indefinite suspension of the process, also arguing about the costs and technical demands of the specifications that exceeded its traditional scope.
Additionally, they expressed concern about the disclosure of strategic information required in the proposal, which could be used by competitors to access sensitive data. The government expects more responses from other companies as little is known about the launch of a new bidding process to meet the needs of the Argentine production framework, which requires deeper draft vessels to compete with Brazil in the agricultural sector.
Jan de Nul's resignation was communicated through a letter addressed to national authorities, causing surprise in the Ministry of Economy. After receiving a single bid from the Belgian company Dredging Environment and Marine Engineering NV (DEME), the Milei administration declared the bidding process null and decided to resort to justice to investigate possible crimes committed by DEME, the only bidder.
Amid the confusion generated, frantic calls were made among members of the National Agency of Ports and Navigation and their superiors in Casa Rosada for more than five hours. Jan de Nul had previously filed claims in court for alleged favoritism in the specifications, while DEME requested the postponement of the bidding process and criticized competitors for unjustifiably questioning the technical requirements.
The situation remains unresolved, with demands for explanations from the Milei government and an ongoing judicial scenario to clarify the events related to the dredging contract in the Hidrovía.
