NEWS

The maintenance dredging of the Uruguay River, coordinated by the Administradora del Río Uruguay (CARU), has become essential to strengthen fluvial logistics in the Litoral region by ensuring sufficient depth (around 23 feet) in the access channel and manoeuvring areas near the Port of Concepción del Uruguay. These ongoing dredging works provide stable navigation conditions year-round, helping to avoid operational interruptions, reduce delays and risks, and enable more effici

The global energy transition is reshaping dry bulk trade by accelerating the decline of coal and giving rise to new flows of material-intensive commodities, particularly lithium ores such as spodumene and lepidolite, shipped as bulk concentrates. These minerals, essential for electric vehicle (EV) batteries and energy storage systems, are rapidly growing in volume —with spodumene exceeding 6 million tonnes in 2025— generating dry bulk shipping demand and supporting the employ

Drewry warns that after more than two years of container shipping services diverting around the Cape of Good Hope, the gradual end of those diversions and the return of transits through the Red Sea and Suez Canal raises many questions and preparations for shippers who need to be ready for the change. While the resumption of navigation via Suez —driven by some carriers beginning to return to the traditional route— offers potential benefits in time and cost, operators need to c

The Port of Montevideo ended 2025 with a sharp decline in cargo transshipment operations, mainly involving Paraguayan cargo, after several deep-sea shipping lines decided to move their transshipment hubs to Argentine ports such as Buenos Aires and Zárate, directly affecting local container activity. According to figures from Uruguay’s National Ports Administration (ANP), Montevideo handled 875,491 TEUs, representing a 21.5% year-on-year decrease, largely driven by a 46% drop

Argentina and Uruguay have reached a “green light” agreement to unblock the maintenance dredging of the Martín García Channel, after months of negotiations between port authorities of both countries and the Comisión Administradora del Río Uruguay (CARU). The decision aims to resolve bottlenecks in the ongoing dredging works needed to keep the channel navigable between the Paraná and Uruguay rivers, which is essential for ensuring navigation of barges and vessels carrying impo

Maritime consultancy Drewry Shipping Consultants has launched a new tool called the Red Sea Diversion Tracker, which monitors weekly containership transits through the Suez Canal versus those diverted around the Cape of Good Hope. In the week ending 11 January, the number of container vessels transiting via Suez rose to 26 voyages —the highest in five weeks— including five 8,000+ TEU ships from major carriers— suggesting an emerging rebound of the traditional route, although

Shipping company Maersk has confirmed that it will reactivate at the end of January 2026 its regular service from the Port of San Antonio Este (Río Negro) —a key terminal for exporting pears and apples from the Alto Valle region— through a weekly shuttle-style connection to Montevideo for transshipment of refrigerated cargo to international markets. Theirst sailing is scheduled for 27 January, aboard the Maersk AS Sabine, a vessel with 1,762 TEU capacity and 492 reefer plugs,

The European Parliament decided on Wednesday, 21 January 2026 to halt the approval of the recently signed free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur and refer it to the Court of Justice of the EU to determine whether the deal signed in Asunción, Paraguay complies with the EU’s founding treaties. The vote was extremely narrow —334 in favor and 324 against— meaning that the top EU court based in Luxembourg must review legal aspects before the pact can be ratif

According to data from Paraguay’s Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC), in 2025 the ports in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area (covering terminals between Zárate and La Plata) strengthened their role as a regional logistics hub by handling around 250,000 TEUs, accounting for roughly 80 % of Paraguay’s containerized trade as the main transshipment gateway to international markets. This contrasted with Montevideo’s performance, which saw a nearly 30 % decline in

Grimaldi Group confirmed the launch of a regular monthly Ro-Ro and project cargo service from China to the Southern Cone, starting on February 17, with an estimated transit time of 37 days. The new route will link Taicang with Zárate and Montevideo, using the Port of Montevideo as a regional logistics hub for cargo redistribution to Paraguay, with an option for onward transit to Asunción. The inaugural voyage will be operated by the MV Grande Texas, formally marking the start

El Grimaldi Group confirmó el lanzamiento de un servicio regular mensual Ro-Ro y de carga proyecto desde China hacia el Cono Sur, que comenzará el 17 de febrero y tendrá un tiempo de tránsito estimado de 37 días. La nueva ruta conectará Taicang con Zárate y Montevideo, utilizando al Puerto de Montevideo como hub logístico regional para la redistribución de cargas con destino final a Paraguay, con opción de transbordo hacia Asunción. El viaje inaugural será operado por el MV G

A.P. Moller-Maersk announced the resumption of transit for its MECL service through the Suez Canal after completing two successful test voyages through the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The return to the trans-Suez route, which links the Middle East, India and the U.S. East Coast, marks the first structural change to restore the original service pattern and provide more efficient transit times, shifting away from the previously extended Cape of Good Hope route. Maersk

Drewry’s analysis indicates that in 2025 most Venezuelan crude exports went to Asia with only a limited volume bound for the United States, but a near-complete redirection of these flows toward the U.S. market —if Washington manages Venezuelan oil assets while maintaining an embargo on other exports— would significantly affect maritime transport. This shift would materially reduce long-haul tanker demand because shipments to the U.S. Gulf Coast are shorter, yet Venezuelan bar

China’s Qingdao Port has put into commercial operation the first vacuum-based automated mooring system, enabling a large vessel to berth in under 30 seconds without ropes or human intervention by using high-vacuum suction units along the quay that generate a combined 2,600 kN of holding force and dynamically adjust to wind, waves and currents. The automation removes personnel from one of the most hazardous areas of the terminal, enhances safety, significantly boosts operation

The Government of Uruguay has announced a comprehensive review of the port tariff system and governance framework to strengthen sector competitiveness and align the regime with the current needs of international trade and logistics. This process will assess adjustments to port tariffs to achieve greater efficiency, fairness and transparency in cost structures for users and operators, while also examining governance mechanisms to modernize decision-making, streamline procedure

The European Union moved forward on Friday with a favorable vote by member countries to approve a free trade agreement with Mercosur, after more than 25 years of negotiations and amid opposition from the European agricultural sector and France. With this green light, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to travel to Asunción to sign the treaty linking the EU with Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay the following Monday; however, approval by the E

The Port of Montevideo recorded significant growth in both solid and liquid bulk throughput, with solid bulk up 28 % and liquid bulk up 17 %, driven by increased handling of fertilisers, agricultural products and fuels; this expansion was also reflected in improved operational indicators such as total processed volume and cargo turnaround, helping to position Montevideo as a competitive alternative for commodity handling and associated services, and boosting its appeal to exp

The Government of Uruguay has announced the call for a business delegation to participate in an official mission to China in 2026, aimed at strengthening commercial ties and cooperation between Uruguayan companies and Chinese markets, promoting exports, investment and the integration of national goods and services into one of the world’s largest economies. The initiative also seeks to encourage business contacts, identify commercial opportunities and consolidate Uruguay’s pre

The U.S. National Security Strategy 2025 reshapes Washington’s global approach by positioning trade, strategic resources and critical logistics infrastructure as core components of national power and security, treating the global economy as a geopolitical battlefield rather than a neutral liberal order. The strategy abandons the post-Cold War free-market orthodoxy in favour of a competitive, territorialized logic where flows, nodal points and logistics chokepoints —such as ke

In the final week of the year, global container shipping rates began rising again after a weak December, with the Drewry World Container Index (WCI) increasing 1 % to US$ 2,213 per 40-foot container, marking its fourth consecutive weekly gain and reflecting solid demand on key trade lanes ahead of the new year. The Asia–Europe corridors led the uptick, with spot rates rising 3 % from Shanghai to Genoa and 2 % to Rotterdam, reinforcing the recovery that began in early December