Montevideo’s soaring success

According to the Administración Nacional de Puertos (ANP), transhipments account for 55% of the containers discharged at the Port of Montevideo, with a majority (120,000 in 2007) bound for Argentina and the rest for Brazil and Paraguay, as traders and shipping lines capitalise on the perceived advantages of the Uruguayan terminal in terms of cost, bureaucratic simplicity, and operational efficiency.

The port’s principal container facility, Terminal Cuena del Plata(TCP), offers of a 288 m (945 foot) pier, berth depth at mean low water of 10.5 m (34.4 feet) and a 17.2 ha (42.5 acre) storage yard. Direct call liner services are provided by Hamburg Süd, COSCO Container Lines, Maersk Line, MOL, and MSC. Feeder ship services link it with ports in neighbouring countries such as Buenos Aires in Argentina and Rio Grande in Brazil.

The terminal is equipped with four container cranes, 15 straddle carriers, and 10 stackers. Katoen Natie, a Belgian company, has operated TCP under concession from the ANP since 2001.