The Paraguay – Paraná Rivers Inland Waterway (from now on HPP, by its acronym in Spanish) is located in South America and flows through five countries: Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay. Its catchment area is about 2.605.000 km2 (950.000 km2 from Parana River (Corrientes) + 1.095.000 km2 from Paraguay River +560,000 km2 (from Middle Paraná River south of Corrientes) but without considering the part corresponding to Uruguay River) which integrates a bigger one or about 3.100.000 km2 well known as Plata Basin, since it’s finally discharge in Río de la Plata and the Atlantic Ocean.
The HPP is an inland waterway 3.442 km long counted from Caceres Port in Brazil to Nueva Palmira in Uruguay where it has its nominal end. It is not included in this length 700 Km pertaining to the Upper Paraná from Corrientes to Iguazu. In spite of this end of HPP project in Nueva Palmira, the connection between this inland waterway and open deep waters at the Atlantic Ocean is done by sailing from ports of Rosario area through Parana de las Palmas and Río de la Plata with deep draught ships for a channel 395 km long.
The Paraná River section of HPP is in one of the more populated and industrialized area of South America so it is a strategic link to facilitate trade between the southern Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay and Rosario (Argentina) from where it can connect with deep draught ships with the Atlantic Ocean. It is considered the most important integration way of MERCOSUR since it is one of the most important way of transport needed to facilitate physical integration of the five countries. Its commercial area of direct influence (hinterland) is estimated at about 720.000 km2 and of indirect influence at about 3.500.000 km2 with a population of more than 40 million inhabitants.
From north to south, the HPP passes through important local ports as Caceres, Corumbá and Puerto Murtinho in Brazil; Puerto Suarez (Bolivia); Concepción, San Pedro, Asunción (Capital City) and Villeta in Paraguay; Puerto Pilcomayo, Formosa, Corrientes, Barranqueras, Paraná, Santa Fe, San Martín – San Lorenzo and Rosario in Argentina and finally Nueva Palmira in Uruguay.
In the stretch Sanfa Fe- Corrientes the project required a final navigable channel of 12 feet draught (including 2 feet of under keel clearance) that was achieved in 2011 and since then has been maintained that way.
Capital dredging required the mobilization of approximately 1.5 M cubic meters of sediment. It was installed a modern aids to navigation (AtoN) system integrated by 330 lighted buoys and beacons, all of them designed according to IALA guidelines.
The intervention includes the realization of frequent bathymetric surveys, the installation and maintenance of a network of 12 automatic water level measuring stations and the installation of antennae for the reception of AIS signals (Automatic Identification System).
The paper and presentation will describe The Paraguay – Paraná Rivers Inland Waterway, focusing on the improvements in transportation infrastructure already achieved and their impact on reducing transportantion costs, the works to be done to transform the whole waterway in a modern system of navigation that can produce an important effect on navigation costs and safety, aspects that the audience always appreciate as benefits.