The Ministry of Transport authorized the Undersecretariat of Ports to require theParaguayan ships and shipowners the processing of a special loading permit which includes the port of origin and destination; the volume and type of cargo; the vessels in which said cargo is intended to be transported; and any other information deemed relevant.
He did it through the Resolution 21 / 2021 published this Tuesday (26.01.2021) in the Official Gazette, which aims to "recover the sovereignty of river maritime transport and enhance the services of national vessels"
In this way, the Ministry aims to “reserve national cargo under the Argentine flag, equating the requirements with those of Paraguay, and generating the income of foreign currency, the creation of new jobs and the reduction of logistics costs.”
In addition, the Undersecretariat of Ports may consult, by means of a note to the national shipping chambers, the existence of availability of an Argentine flag warehouse or one operated by Argentine shipowners to handle the required cargo, among the ports indicated in the request for a special cargo permit.
Once the responses from the aforementioned shipping chambers have been received, the body may authorize the request, provided that there are no Argentine-flagged vessels or Argentine shipowners in a position to carry out the transport in question.
For years, Paraguay implements a cargo reservation regime that establishes a preference in favor of ships under its flag to transport export or import merchandise from or to that country.
This affects Argentine-flagged vessels and creates an inequality of opportunities in participation within the field of maritime and river transport.
"While Argentine cargo could be transported by river vessels under the Argentine or Paraguayan flag under equal conditions, Paraguayan cargo is reserved for vessels of that nationality, which results in a situation of manifest inequality," the Ministry stressed.
Accordingly, today's resolution represents "a very important step forward in the recovery of sovereignty over river transport and equal conditions for national and foreign vessel services," the official text states.
The measure "will be in effect for as long as Paraguay maintains restrictive measures on Argentine ships and vessels, and is intended to promote the inflow of foreign currency, the creation of jobs, and the reduction of logistics costs for goods produced by regional economies."
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