Buenos Aires Docklands
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The Port of Buenos Aires () is the principal maritime port in Argentina. Operated by the ''Administración General de Puertos'' (General Ports Administration), a
state enterprise A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a business entity created or owned by a national or local government, either through an executive order or legislation. SOEs aim to generate profit for the government, prevent private sector monopolies, provide goo ...
, it is the leading transshipment point for the
foreign trade of Argentina Foreign trade of Argentina includes economic activities both within and outside Argentina especially with regards to merchandise exports and imports, as well as trade in services. Colonial and early history Argentina's primary exports in co ...
. The current port is located in the city's Retiro ward, and is colloquially known as ''Puerto Nuevo'' (New Port). The Port of Buenos Aires handles around 11 million
metric ton The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1,000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton in the United States to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the sh ...
s of cargo annually;
Dock Sud Dock Sud is a town of Avellaneda Partido in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It forms part of the urban agglomeration of Greater Buenos Aires. The area is characterized by its predominantly working-class background, with many of its inhabitant ...
, which is owned by the
Province of Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, officially the Buenos Aires Province, is the largest and most populous Provinces of Argentina, Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of the province an ...
, is south of the city proper, and handles another 17 million metric tons. Passenger traffic at the port peaked during the golden era of
immigration in Argentina The history of immigration to Argentina can be divided into several major stages: * Spanish colonization of the Americas, Spanish colonization between the :es:Siglo XVI, 16th and :es:Siglo XVIII, 18th century, mostly male, largely assimilat ...
(until 1930), when the port was the site of the
Hotel de Inmigrantes Hotel de Inmigrantes (Immigrants' Hotel) is a complex of buildings, often compared to a citadel, constructed between 1905 and 1911 in Buenos Aires, Argentina to receive immigrants and stem the tide of communicable diseases following mass cholera ...
. In later decades, this was limited mainly to tourist visitors to Argentina, as well as Argentine visitors to Uruguay. A fast ferry service operated by Buquebus and Ferrylíneas operates short routes to and from the
Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
an cities of
Colonia del Sacramento Colonia del Sacramento (; ) is a city in southwestern Uruguay, by the Río de la Plata, facing Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is one of the oldest towns in Uruguay and the capital of the Colonia Department. As of the 2023 census, it has a populatio ...
and
Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...
; Sturla transports tourists to and from Tigre, a popular weekend destination. The
Benito Quinquela Martín Benito Quinquela Martín (March 1, 1890 – January 28, 1977) was an Argentine painter. Quinquela Martín is considered the port painter-par-excellence and one of the most popular Argentine painters. His paintings of port scenes show the activity, ...
Terminal, inaugurated in 2000, served 120
cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports of call, where passengers may go on Tourism, tours k ...
arrivals with a total of 100,000 visitors in 2010.


History


Early development

Buenos Aires itself was founded as a port by Captain
Juan de Garay Juan de Garay (1528–1583) was a Spanish conquistador. Garay's birthplace is disputed. Some say it was in the city of Junta de Villalba de Losa in Castile, while others argue he was born in the area of Orduña (Basque Country). There's ...
in 1580 for the
Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy (political entity), Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered ...
. It was stymied early on, however, by merchants from the
Viceroyalty of Perú The Viceroyalty of Peru (), officially known as the Kingdom of Peru (), was a Monarchy of Spain, Spanish imperial provincial administrative district, created in 1542, that originally contained modern-day Peru and most of the Spanish Empire in ...
, who had the port closed in 1595. The difficulty of transporting European goods from
Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...
fostered an active
smuggling Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. More broadly, soc ...
trade in Buenos Aires, and locals' reliance on contraband did not subside until after the 1776 establishment of the
Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata A viceroyalty was an entity headed by a viceroy. It dates back to the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the sixteenth century. British Empire India * India was governed by the Governor-General and Viceroy of India from 1858 to 1947, commo ...
. Following this concession, exports (mainly
salted meat Salting is the preservation of food with dry edible salt.
and
cowhide Cowhide is the natural, unbleached skin and hair of a cow. It retains the original coloring of the animal. Cowhides are a product of the food industry from cattle. Cowhide is frequently processed into leather. Process Once a cow has been killed, ...
s) flourished, and
customs duties A tariff or import tax is a duty (tax), duty imposed by a national Government, government, customs territory, or supranational union on imports of goods and is paid by the importer. Exceptionally, an export tax may be levied on exports of goods ...
became the paramount source of public revenue.Rock, David. ''Argentina: 1516-1982''. University of California Press, 1987. Until the latter part of the nineteenth century, however, the natural harbor of ''Balizas Interiores'' (Interior Beacons) served as the main port. Before the current infrastructure was built, Buenos Aires had only a mooring or pier of shallow and low, swampy terrain. It was, moreover, of difficult access, as the city it served was located atop an
incline Incline, inclined, inclining, or inclination may refer to: *Grade (slope), the tilt, steepness, or angle from horizontal of a topographic feature (hillside, meadow, etc.) or constructed element (road, railway, field, etc.) *Slope, the tilt, steepn ...
, and heavy
silt Silt is granular material of a size between sand and clay and composed mostly of broken grains of quartz. Silt may occur as a soil (often mixed with sand or clay) or as sediment mixed in suspension (chemistry), suspension with water. Silt usually ...
deposits on the
Río de la Plata The Río de la Plata (; ), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda, Colonia, Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and ...
estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime enviro ...
limited seaborne access, as well. Merchant ships anchored several miles offshore, where passengers and cargo transshipped to shallow-draft vessels that approach the shore. Silt and other alluvial material from the
Matanza River The Matanza River is a stream in Argentina that originates in the Buenos Aires Province and defines the southern boundary of the Buenos Aires federal district. It empties into the Río de la Plata between Tandanor and Dock Sud. The La Boca neig ...
(south of Buenos Aires) prevented the opening of a sufficiently deep channel to facilitate shipping.Luqui Lagleyze, J. M. ''Breve Historia Arqueológica del Puerto de Buenos Aires. 1536-1827''. Departamento de Estudios Históricos Navales de la Armada Argentina, 2005. Law 280, passed by the
Argentine Congress The National Congress of Argentina () is the legislative branch of the government of Argentina. Its composition is bicameral, constituted by a 72-seat Senate and a 257-seat Chamber of Deputies. The Senate, a third of whose members are elected to ...
in 1868, ordered technical studies to determine the most appropriate place for the construction of a modern port. Proximity to the city was deemed essential to maintain the central government's fiscal control of its operations, mainly exerted through the collection of
duties A duty (from "due" meaning "that which is owing"; , past participle of ; , whence "debt") is a commitment or expectation to perform some action in general or if certain circumstances arise. A duty may arise from a system of ethics or morality, e ...
. The distribution of these latter monies, the leading source of public revenue throughout the 19th century and as late as 1940, was the chief point of contention between Buenos Aires leaders and those from the hinterland. The
San Nicolás Agreement The San Nicolás Agreement () was a pact signed on May 31, 1852 and subscribed by all but one of the 14 provinces of the United Provinces of the River Plate (the exception was Buenos Aires). The treaty consisted of 19 articles, and its goal was t ...
of 1852, whereby all customs duties were nationalized, was rejected by Buenos Aires leader
Bartolomé Mitre Bartolomé Mitre (26 June 1821 – 19 January 1906) was an Argentine statesman, soldier and author. He was President of Argentina from 1862 to 1868 and the first president of Argentine Civil Wars#National unification, unified Argentina. Mitre i ...
, and led to a compromise in the form of the 1862 creation of the National Customs Administration. The Executive Branch negotiated the transfer of public lands necessary for the project with Buenos Aires authorities, as these belonged to the provincial government. The agreement signed at the end of 1871 provided that the federal government would be responsible for the supervision of works, but jurisdictional disputes continued. Only the 1880
Federalization of Buenos Aires The federalization of Buenos Aires was the process by which the city of Buenos Aires, until then capital of the province of Buenos Aires, was politically separated from the latter to put it under direct control of the national government as a fed ...
, and the lands' subsequent federal control, resolved these disputes.
German Argentine German Argentines (, ) are Argentines of German ancestry as well as German citizens living in Argentina. They are descendants of Germans who immigrated to Argentina from Germany and most notably from other places in Europe such as the Volga ...
businessman
Francisco Seeber Francisco Seeber (November 15, 1841 – December 13, 1913) was an Argentine military officer, businessman and Mayor of Buenos Aires. Life and times Francisco Seeber was born in Buenos Aires to Sophia Taut and Magnus Seeber, both German Argen ...
had anticipated these developments by establishing the Catalinas Warehouse and Pier Company, Ltd., in 1872. The task of mooring ships was significantly eased with a new harbor, the first in Argentina to result from
land reclamation Land reclamation, often known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new Terrestrial ecoregion, land from oceans, list of seas, seas, Stream bed, riverbeds or lake ...
, and of an extensive
pier A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...
. The pier stretched several hundred meters into the river to facilitate the arrival of smaller vessels, and served both shipping and passenger traffic for two decades; honor of the Parish of Santa Catalina de Sienna, the harbor was christened ''
Catalinas Norte Catalinas Norte is an important business complex composed of nineteen commercial office buildings and occupied by many leading Argentine companies, foreign subsidiaries, diplomatic offices, and a hotel. It is located in the Retiro, Buenos Aires, ...
''.


Two proposals

President
Julio Roca Alejo Julio Argentino Roca Paz (July 17, 1843 – October 19, 1914) was an Argentine army general and statesman who served as President of Argentina from 1880 to 1886 and from 1898 to 1904. Roca is the most important representative of the ...
then commissioned studies for a new, much larger port in 1881. The Director of
Riachuelo River The Matanza River is a stream in Argentina that originates in the Buenos Aires Province and defines the southern boundary of the Buenos Aires federal district. It empties into the Río de la Plata between Tandanor and Dock Sud. The La Boca neig ...
Works,
Luis Huergo Luis Augusto Huergo (November 1, 1837 – November 4, 1913) was an Argentine engineer prominent in the development of his country's ports. Life and times Early career Luis Huergo was born in Buenos Aires, in 1837, to a family of prosperous retai ...
, presented plans of his own design for a port of staggered docks. This plan, and a British design purchased by local businessman
Eduardo Madero Eduardo Madero (1823 — 1894) was an Argentine merchant, banker and developer. Life and times Eduardo Madero was born in Buenos Aires, in 1823, to a family of farmers. A nephew of publisher Florencio Varela, his uncle's enmity with the Governor ...
, were presented to Congress in June 1882. Obtaining financing from
Baring Brothers Barings Bank was a British merchant bank based in London. It was one of England's oldest merchant banks after Berenberg Bank, Barings' close collaborator and German representative. It was founded in 1762 by Francis Baring, a British-born member ...
, as well as the support of President Roca, Madero's plan received the endorsement of Senator
Carlos Pellegrini Carlos Enrique José Pellegrini Bevans (October 11, 1846 – July 17, 1906) was Vice President of Argentina and became President of Argentina from August 6, 1890 to October 12, 1892, upon Miguel Ángel Juárez Celman's resignation (see R ...
(one of the Senate's most powerful figures), and it was approved by both houses in October 1882. Drawing from an initiative first raised by Act No. 1257 October 1822, Madero contracted British engineer Sir
John Hawkshaw Sir John Hawkshaw FRS FRSE FRSA MICE (9 April 1811 – 2 June 1891), was an English civil engineer. He served as President of the Institution of Civil Engineers 1862-63. His most noteworthy work is the Severn Tunnel. Early life He was born ...
to design the new facility. Conceived as four contiguous
impounded dock Impoundment may refer to: Water control * The result of a dam, creating a body of water ** A reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric ...
s with a floating entry basin at each end, the works began in 1884. The first dock was completed in 1888, and inaugurated on 28 January 1889, by the most prominent early supporter of the plan, Carlos Pellegrini (who was now
Vice President of Argentina The Vice President of Argentina (), officially known as the Vice President of the Argentine Nation (), is the second highest political position in Argentina, and first in the line of succession to the president of Argentina. The office was estab ...
). The
Panic of 1890 The Baring crisis or the Panic of 1890 was an acute recession in the United States. Although less serious than other panics of the era, it is the 19th century’s most famous sovereign debt crisis, and the 17th largest decline in U.S. stock marke ...
delayed these works, however, and they were completed only in 1897. The port, known as
Puerto Madero Puerto Madero, also known within the urban planning community as the Puerto Madero Waterfront, is a Barrios and Communes of Buenos Aires, ''barrio'' of Buenos Aires in the Buenos Aires Central Business District, Central Business District. Occup ...
, had by 1907 become insufficient to meet growing maritime traffic. Puerto Madero, and its complementary Catalinas docks, could handle a maximum of 30,000 tons of cereals daily (
cereal A cereal is a grass cultivated for its edible grain. Cereals are the world's largest crops, and are therefore staple foods. They include rice, wheat, rye, oats, barley, millet, and maize ( Corn). Edible grains from other plant families, ...
s were the leading export of Argentina, and the
foreign exchange The foreign exchange market (forex, FX, or currency market) is a global decentralized or over-the-counter (OTC) market for the trading of currencies. This market determines foreign exchange rates for every currency. By trading volume, it i ...
these shipments earned were key to the
mercantile Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cred ...
model of the time). They operated near or at capacity, however, and an expansion of the port was authorized in September 1907 by President
José Figueroa Alcorta José María Cornelio Figueroa Alcorta (November 20, 1860 – December 27, 1931) was an Argentine lawyer and politician, who managed to be the only person to head the three powers of the State: Vice President of the Nation (President of t ...
. Luis Huergo's dormant plans for staggered docks were approved in 1911, and work promptly began on the ''Puerto Nuevo'' (New Port). Located north of Catalinas Norte, this project was directed by Richard Souldby Oldham, Walker & Co., was delayed by the scarcity of material and financing brought about by World War I, and would ultimately require 15 years. This would add a
breakwater Breakwater may refer to: * Breakwater (structure), a structure for protecting a beach or harbour Places * Breakwater, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia * Breakwater Island, Antarctica * Breakwater Islands, Nunavut, Canada * ...
, five more docks, and then a sixth, to the existing infrastructure, and when these additions were inaugurated in 1925, the Port of Buenos Aires was the largest in Latin America, and the southern hemisphere.


Operations

The Port of Buenos Aires is operated by the state-owned General Port Administration. It was originally established in 1949 by President
Juan Perón Juan Domingo Perón (, , ; 8 October 1895 – 1 July 1974) was an Argentine military officer and Statesman (politician), statesman who served as the History of Argentina (1946-1955), 29th president of Argentina from 1946 to Revolución Libertad ...
as the ''Dirección Nacional de Puertos'' (National Port Directorate), and oversaw all major port operations in Argentina. The entity was reorganized as the ''Administración General de Puertos'' by President
Raúl Alfonsín Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín (; 12 March 1927 – 31 March 2009) was an Argentine lawyer and statesman who served as President of Argentina from 10 December 1983 to 8 July 1989. He was the first democratically elected president after the 7-yea ...
on 4 September 1987. Chronic losses, which by the early 1990s averaged over us$60 million yearly, prompted its 1992
privatization Privatization (rendered privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation w ...
by President
Carlos Menem Carlos Saúl Menem (2 July 1930 – 14 February 2021) served as the 50th president of Argentina for ten years, from 1989 to 1999. He identified as Peronism, Peronist, serving as President of the Justicialist Party for 13 years (from 1990 to 200 ...
. Menem, however, vetoed the sale of the Port of Buenos Aires itself, and it remained in the federal government's aegis. The Argentine maritime fleet was initially developed by Croatian Argentine businessman
Nicolás Mihanovich Nicolás Mihanovich (1846–1929) was a Croatian Argentine businessman closely linked to the development of the Argentine merchant marine. Life and times The Beginnings Nicolás Mihanovich was born Nikola Mihanović in the Kingdom of Dalmatia, ...
, whose Argentina Navigation Company and related firms dominated local shipping during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The firm was sold to a consortium led by a British shipping magnate, Lord Kylsant, and an Argentine investor, Alberto Dodero, in 1918, and would operate as the ''Compañia Argentina de Navegación Dodero'' from 1942.Historia y Arqueologia Marítima: La era Mihanovich
This fleet was nationalized in 1949 by President Perón, who established ''Flota Mercante del Estado'' (State Merchant Marine) while retaining the Dodero family as owners of the management concession. This partnership ended with the 1955 coup that deposed Perón, however, and its management was nationalized as ''Flota Argentina de Navegaceon de Ultramar''. President
Arturo Frondizi Arturo Frondizi Ércoli (Paso de los Libres, October 28, 1908 – Buenos Aires, April 18, 1995) was an Argentine lawyer, journalist, teacher, statesman, and politician. He was elected president of Argentina and governed from May ...
merged the fleet and management entities into ''Empresa Líneas Marítimas del Estado'' (ELMA) in 1960; ELMA was stripped of its cargo preference at the Port of Buenos Aires in 1991, and unable to privatize the carrier, sold its fleet piecemeal. The New Port's electricity supply has been principally supplied by the Dr. Carlos Givogri power plant. Built in 1930 by the
Italian Argentine Italian Argentines (; , or ''tanos'' in Rioplatense Spanish) are Argentine-born citizens who are fully or partially of Italian descent, whose ancestors were Italians who emigrated to Argentina during the Italian diaspora, or Italian-born people ...
Electric Company (CIAE), its 71 m (233 ft) eclecticist façade is the port's most distinguishable architectural feature. The chief manufacturing firm located on the port district's premises is the
Tandanor Tandanor (an acronym for Talleres Navales Dársena Norte, Naval Workshops North Dock) is an Argentine shipyard located south of Buenos Aires port which together with Almirante Storni yard constitutes CINAR (Argentina's Industrial and Naval Compou ...
shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other Watercraft, floating vessels. In modern times, it normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation th ...
and repair facility. A
worker cooperative A worker cooperative is a cooperative owned and Workers' self-management, self-managed by its workers. This control may mean a Company, firm where every worker-owner participates in decision-making in a democratic fashion, or it may refer to one ...
since its 1999 bankruptcy, Tandanor operates with a
Workers' self-management Workers' self-management, also referred to as labor management and organizational self-management, is a form of organizational management based on self-directed work processes on the part of an organization's workforce. Self-managed economy, ...
system, and remains the nation's largest shipbuilder.


Puerto Madero redevelopment

Puerto Madero Puerto Madero, also known within the urban planning community as the Puerto Madero Waterfront, is a Barrios and Communes of Buenos Aires, ''barrio'' of Buenos Aires in the Buenos Aires Central Business District, Central Business District. Occup ...
, which served only ancillary port functions following the New Port's inaugural in 1925, was re-established as the ''Corporación Antiguo Puerto Madero'' (Old Puerto Madero Corporation), on 15 November 1989. Beginning around 1994, local and foreign investment led to a massive revitalization effort, recycling and refurbishing the red brick, warehouses along the west side of the docks into upscale offices, lofts, retail space, restaurants, private university campuses and five-star hotels. Most development along the eastern side consisted of new construction, as well as some of the most extensive parks in the city. Puerto Madero has been redeveloped with international flair, drawing interest from renowned architects such as
Santiago Calatrava Santiago Calatrava Valls (born 28 July 1951) is a Spaniards, Spanish-Swiss people, Swiss architect, structural engineer, sculptor and painter, particularly known for his bridges supported by single leaning pylons, and his railway stations, stad ...
,
Norman Foster Norman Robert Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank (born 1 June 1935) is an English architect. Closely associated with the development of high-tech architecture, Lord Foster is recognised as a key figure in British modernist architecture. Hi ...
,
César Pelli César Pelli (October 12, 1926 – July 19, 2019) was an Argentine architect who designed some of the world's tallest buildings and other major urban landmarks. Three of his most notable buildings are the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, the Wo ...
and
Philippe Starck Philippe Starck (; born 18 January 1949) is a French industrial architect and designer known for his wide range of designs, including interior design, architecture, household objects, furniture, boats and other vehicles. His most popular pieces ...
, among others. Today one of the trendiest boroughs in Buenos Aires, it has become the preferred address for growing numbers of young professionals and retirees, alike. Increasing property prices have also generated interest in the area as a destination for foreign buyers, particularly those in the market for premium investment properties. The neighborhood's road network has been entirely rebuilt, especially in the east side. The layout of the east side consists currently of three wide boulevards running east–west crossed by the east side's main street, Juana Manso Avenue. The layout is completed with some other avenues and minor streets, running both east–west and north–south, and by several pedestrianised streets. The district is separated from the estuary by the
Buenos Aires Ecological Reserve Buenos Aires Ecological Reserve, ''Reserva Ecológica de Buenos Aires'', also known as Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve, ''Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur'', is a tract of low land on the Río de la Plata riverbank located on the east side of ...
. Puerto Madero represents the largest wide-scale urban project in the city of Buenos Aires, currently. Having undergone an impressive revival in merely a decade, it is one of the most successful recent waterfront renewal projects in the world.Ann Breen and Dick Rigby, ''The New Waterfront: A Worldwide Urban Success Story'' – McGraw-Hill Professional


References


External links

{{Authority control Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
Economy of Argentina 1897 establishments in Argentina