Paraguay seeks to resume transshipment operations at the Port of Montevideo after shipping lines shifted to Argentina – El Observador | 29/01/26

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 in transshipment volumes. Paraguay’s ambassador to Uruguay, Didier Olmedo, stressed that the decline was not due to a change in Paraguay’s trade strategy, but rather to commercial decisions by shipping companies, some linked to higher operating costs in Uruguay and the lack of access to proprietary container terminals. Despite this, Olmedo emphasized that Uruguay remains Paraguay’s key gateway to international markets, highlighting the country’s port alternatives —Nueva Palmira for bulk cargo and Montevideo for containers, with operators such as Montecon and TCP— and the long-standing strategic alliance with Paraguay’s river fleet. In 2025, around 80% of Paraguay’s containerized trade was transshipped through Argentine ports, with Buenos Aires alone moving close to 250,000 TEUs, although Paraguay expects shipping lines to restore services and frequencies in Montevideo once current differences are resolved. Link to Article