shipping agency >> waterways | Nueva Palmira

The Basin of the River Plate, is an international basin shared by Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.  It has a surface of 3,1 million km2, a population of 120 million people and is respected like the most industrialized region of Latin America.  Their main tributaries are the Rivers Paraná, Paraguay and Uruguay.  These rivers are natural river ways of excellent conditions for the navigation and historically, they have served for the transportation of merchandise inside and out of the region.  Currently it is possible to sail about 2000 Km by the River Paraná (from San Pablo to Ciudad del Este), about 1300 Km by the River Paraguay (since the River Apa to Cáceres) and about 500 Km by the River Uruguay (since the River de la Plata to the city of Salto).

What is the Waterway?
The Project of Waterway Paraguay-Paraná-River de la Plata, is a mega work of engineer to enlarge the products traffic capacity, mainly agricultural (soy), mineral (iron and manganese) and flammable, allowing the transportation of large loads through the river system Paraguay-Paraná-Uruguay-River de la Plata.  The system covers about 3.440 km. continuous, among the Port Cáceres in the North extreme (Brazil) and the Port of Nueva Palmira in the South extreme (Uruguay).  The project of the Waterway, reckoned in 1 billion  dollars, should guarantee the night and day navigation and during all the year of "convoys", formed by several barges of load and a pusher.  These convoys can be organized with different dimensions but is foreseen that the Waterway, permit the circulation of structures that can reach 200 m of length, 16 m of wide and 3.5 m of draft. 

Natural operation of the Rivers
Evidently the natural conditions of the rivers do not permit the navigation of so large elements in all their extension and even less of those located in regions of plains as the involved in the project of the Waterway.  The own dynamics of the river ecosystems, tends to form sinuous river banks and twists, with deep regions and of slow waters than they alternate lengthwise with slighter zones and of fast water.  This type of auto organization of the rivers permits to dissipate the water power in very efficient form, diminishing the erosion of the margins.  Another important aspect is the relation of the main river bed with its plain of flood.  In agreement with the state of speed of the sub watersheds, annual pulses exist in which the river overflows and floods vast areas of the margins.  In natural environments the animal and vegetable communities that inhabit this region, are adapted and they depend on these pulses to complete their cycles of life.  These prominent aspects for the maintenance of the ecology equilibrium of the river ecosystems, are exaggerated by the presence of the Marshland in the Orients of the River Paraguay.