The Bahía Blanca Port Management Consortium has awarded Public Tender No. 06-CGPBB/2026 to a joint venture (Unión Transitoria de Empresas/UTE) formed by Jan De Nul and Compañía Sudamericana de Dragados.
Following the rejection of competing bids from Boskalis and Dredging International, this decision assigns the winning consortium responsibility for managing the port system's channels and operational areas over the next 15 years, alongside a project to deepen the main access channel, ArgenPorts said.
The contract combines two distinct initiatives with different timelines and objectives, both aimed at safeguarding navigation and expanding the port's capacity:
- Long-term maintenance (180 months): Covers regular maintenance dredging across the main access channel, the channel leading to the Puerto Belgrano Naval Base, berthing areas, outer ports, and maneuvering zones at Ingeniero White, Puerto Galván, and Puerto Rosales, including their respective access routes. These operations will remove seabed sediment build-up to preserve required design depths and ensure safe and reliable vessel traffic,
- Channel deepening (12 months): A separate project to deepen sections of the main access channel.
In line with its initial planning objectives, the project aims to reach an operational draft of 50 feet (about 15.24 meters). Achieving this depth will improve access for crude oil tankers operating out of Puerto Rosales. The Bahía Blanca port system also serves as a key hub for grain, oilseeds, fertilizers, chemicals and industrial cargo.