The Expansion Of Grain Ports In Argentina

Abstract

The competitivity of a port is based not only on providing services at a lower cost but also on getting an operative rate which allows vessels to optimize their laytime, preventing idle demurrages in piers and waiting areas (roads). This characteristic has been observed in recent years in the ports included in the Hidrovia (Waterway) of Rio Parana which, as a result of dredging operations and of investments for the remodeling of facilities in Rosario and San Lorenzo, have given rise to an important improvement in all port operations. The possibility of having a higher depth for navigation both along the Mitre Channel and Martin Garcia Channel has allowed the load of each vessel to be increased by an amount that fluctuates between 8000 and 15000 tons, depending on the characteristics of the different vessels. This, together with the technological developments that took place in grain elevators, has led to a noticeable decrease in freight costs of about US$5 per ton. The application of modern technologies, together with the expansion of storage capacity in grain terminals, has spared vessels unnecessary demurrages that have a daily cost of about US$5000. At the beginning of the 90's, the operative infrastructure for the export of grain commodities and their by-products in Argentine ports consisted of a total grain storage capacity in elevators of 2.01 million tons and a loading rate of 30000 tons per hour. At present, the total grain storage capacity in elevators amounts to 6.02 million tons and the loading rate is 55000 tons per hour. These figures show the expansion of the operative capacity in Argentine port terminals, which has been achieved by the joint effort of both the private and the public sectors.