Toll and draft price: The two main observations made by users of the Paraná River Waterway

Ten days ago, the authorities of the National Ports and Navigation Agency (ANPyN) enabled the possibility for users of the Paraná River Hydroway to make non-binding observations on the draft Technical Specifications and Particular Terms and Conditions for the concession of the dredging and beaconing service of that river communication channel. The draft of the terms and conditions, a document that has 4951 pages, provides for a concession period of 25 years with the possibility of extending it by five more years. It establishes that the basic rate of the dredging and beaconing service will have a maximum reference price of 4.39 dollars per net registry ton for the Ocean-Confluence stretch, but it determines that the amount of the toll to be charged will vary in the different sections of the Paraná River Hydroway. Currently, the toll value is 4.30 dollars per ton for the central stretch of the Hydroway, while in the northern section—the one used by the barges that carry soybeans to ...