Four firms compete for Argentina waterway contract

Four firms are competing in Argentina’s tender to perform maintenance works on a 1,635km section of the Paraguay-Paraná river waterway.

The authorities opened the technical and economic proposals simultaneously to make public the bidders, local daily La Nación reported.

The companies are: 

Jan de Nul
Boskalis
UTE (joint venture) Dredging International-CCCC Shanghai Dredging-Servimagnus
UTE Rhode Nielsen-Emepa

The winner of the contract will perform dredging works during a 180-day period, tender documents show.

A tender for a longer-term concession is expected for late 2022, according to Nación’s report.

Emepa and Jan de Nul formed the consortium that operated the waterway until September, and one of its executives testified that it had paid a US$600,000 bribe in 2010 to have the concession extended until 2021. 

Since September, the waterway has been under the administration of state-owned port agency AGP, which in its latest management report said it had brought in revenues of US$4.5mn. 

This year the waterway has also been affected by drought, which prompted the government to declare a state of emergency in August.

Some private sector firms have voiced concern over the state of the waterway while the new concessionaire is selected, claiming that the government does not have the necessary funds to prevent further deterioration.