Uruguay
ANP Seeks a Way for Colonia Express to Operate Between Montevideo and Buenos Aires
The port authority is evaluating a “viable and safe” option to authorize the service from the Uruguayan capital. The dispute includes the use of the Maciel pier, the availability of the pontoon and the condition of the infrastructure.
The president of the National Ports Administration, Pablo Genta, said the agency must move forward with a “viable and safe” alternative so that Colonia Express can dock at the port of Montevideo and serve the route to Buenos Aires, according to La Diaria.
According to that outlet, the company received authorization in July from the Ministry of Transport and Public Works to operate that route. However, the operation was stalled by difficulties linked to the Maciel pier, where the passenger river service currently operates and where Buquebus also operates.
According to La Diaria, one of the central points in the dispute is that Buquebus owns the only pontoon available at the site, a structure needed for the movement of vehicles to and from the ships. In that context, Colonia Express launched a signature campaign on change.org to demand authorization for the route. By Wednesday afternoon, the petition had surpassed 12,000 signatures, always according to that outlet.
Genta said the passenger terminal at the port of Montevideo is public and therefore can be used by other operators. He also explained that both the company and the Ministry of Transport and Public Works asked the ANP to define schedules and location for a possible operation, and said the agency is working on that point.
For his part, Colonia Express CEO Sebastián Planas told Radio Carmelo, cited by La Diaria, that the company is speaking with the ANP to find its own solution in light of the lack of availability of the pontoon. In that context, he raised the possibility that the vessel operate with its own ramp.
Planas described the situation as serious and said there should not be exclusive use of the pontoon by a single company. He also stressed that a decision before the end of the year will depend on the will of the parties and underlined that the season is key for the company.
At the ANP, meanwhile, they believe that beyond the conflict between private parties, the condition of the infrastructure must also be reviewed. Genta warned that the pier shows advanced deterioration and recalled that in the past it already required contingencies and special works. For that reason, he said the problem is not limited to the relationship between the companies, but also to the condition of the pier and the need to find an operational alternative.
Sources
About this note. Written by El Notero with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not conduct its own reporting on this event.
