Argentina awards private concession for Paraná‑Paraguay waterway

The Milei administration signed a concession contract for the Vía Navegable Troncal, the main export route that carries about 80 % of Argentina’s foreign‑exchange earnings. The 25‑year deal grants the Belgian‑Argentine consortium Jan de Nul‑Servimagnus the right to operate, deepen and modernise roughly 1,500 km of the Paraná‑Paraguay river, creating the company Vía Navegable Argentina S.A. The contract includes an automatic 13.5 % reduction in tolls, private investment in dredging, balizamiento and navigation technology, and a projected revenue of US$15.66 billion over the term with a possible five‑year extension. The state will retain a supervisory role through a control council.

The concession was presented as a historic step toward lower logistics costs, greater competitiveness and regional development in Entre Río’s ports and Santa Fe’s north. Critics, however, denounced the process as opaque, alleging cronyism, lack of competition and environmental risks. Opposition figures, unions and independent media described the agreement as a controversial privatization of a strategic asset, despite the inclusion of public hearings and a UNCTAD audit during the tender.