The Administrative Commission of the River Uruguay (CARU in Spanish) has informed that the dredging works of the River Uruguay in Tres Cruces strait, 20 kilometres away from Fray Bentos port, began on 7 March.
The works have been entrusted by CARU to the Belgian company Jan De Nul NV. Trailing suction hopper dredger Amerigo Vespucci is already working on the River Uruguay, after departing yesterday from Fray Bentos port towards the first strait on the works project.
"We are truly happy about the major step we are taking: these infrastructure works will reduce freight and export costs of Argentine and Uruguayan products," stated the president of the Argentine Delegation to CARU, Mauro Vazón, who was present alongside his counterpart of the Uruguayan Delegation, Gastón Silbermann, as the dredging works began in Tres Cruces strait.
The works are expected to take 8 months, so by late October the straits will have been dredged and the River Uruguay will become a proper waterway for commercial navigation. Vazón explained that "the contract provides for four years' work: the first one will be dedicated to deepening the waterway, and the three subsequent years will be dedicated to the maintenance of the depth reached."
Vazón further stated that "in line with President Mauricio Macri's pledge, we are working to promote the infrastructure works required to be competitive at the regional and international levels, creating investment opportunities so as to generate genuine employment and increasing exports through suitable logistics for port operators, producers, industrial companies, and shipping agencies, all of them working from the ports along the River Uruguay in order to fully develop Argentina."
The project entrusted to CARU by the Member States includes opening and maintenance dredging services, and the placement of buoys along the River Uruguay between km 0 and 187.1 at 23 navigation feet (25 feet deep), including the access channel to the Port of Concepcion del Uruguay. Works will also be undertaken on the channels between km 187.1 and km 206.8, Port of Paysandu, at 17 navigation feet (19 feet deep).
