The Argentine Government completed this Friday the opening of bids for the international public tender to privatize the Trunk Navigable Waterway and received three offers from the world's leading dredging companies, with technical backing from the UN and multisectoral support. The process aims to modernize, operate, and maintain the Trunk Navigable Waterway, a strategic route through which 80% of Argentina's and the region's foreign trade circulates. According to the Argentine News Agency, three proposals were presented from the firms Jan De Nul NV, DEME, and DTA Engenharia, considered among the main dredging companies globally. The tender document was prepared with the support of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which guaranteed the transparency of the process and ensured competitiveness criteria in the award. The initiative was supported by the Rosario Stock Exchange; the Argentine Chamber of the Oilseed Industry – Grain Exporters Center (CIARA–CEC); the Chamber of Private Commercial Ports; the Chamber of Port and Maritime Activities; and the governments of Entre Ríos, Santa Fe, Misiones, Corrientes, Formosa, Chaco, and Buenos Aires. The process was also backed by the Argentine Rural Confederations, the Argentine Rural Society, Coninagro, the Agrarian Federation, and environmental organizations, among other technical and productive representatives. The tender was structured into three envelopes: the first evaluates operational history and technical and financial capacity; the second analyzes the Work Plan with a scoring system; and the third weighs the economic offer, with greater weight to ensure the lowest possible tariff. After analyzing the proposals, the Executive will proceed with the award and the signing of a 25-year concession contract, at business risk and without state backing, with an estimated investment of over 10 billion dollars. The project aims to allow deep-draft vessels to operate at full capacity, reduce logistics costs, and improve the competitiveness of Argentina's foreign trade.
