TecPlata, International Container Terminal Services, Inc.’s (ICTSI) container terminal in La Plata adjacent to the port of Buenos Aires, has completed dredging its marine channels to 10 meters to gain an advantage over competitors.

“The development gives TecPlata an advantage over the terminals in the city of Buenos Aires, where the channels are limited to 10 meters,” said TecPlata Chief Executive Officer Juan Pablo Trujillo.

He added that, “Our next objective is to deepen the access channel to a depth of 14 meters, similar to the design of the container terminal, to bring Argentina on par or better than other ports in the region.”

“This will then provide TecPlata with a unique advantage over the rest of the ports in the Buenos Aires area,” said Trujillo noting that TecPlata is already the most modern marine terminal in the Buenos Aires area.

It strategically sits on a 40-hectare property near the ocean, which, combined with modern port equipment and robust security systems, offers clear competitive advantages for international shipping companies and cargo operators in South America.

TecPlata has a design capacity of more than one million TEUs, capable of accommodating any significant increase in foreign trade in the years to come.

This will eventually reinforce TecPlata’s position as the preferred gateway, bolstering Argentina’s role in the global supply chain.

In October 2008, TecPlata S.A. was granted a 30-year concession to build and operate an all-purpose port terminal in the greater Buenos Aires area in Argentina by the Consorcio de Gestion del Puerto La Plata.

Built with an investment of $450 million, TecPlata is Argentina’s most modern container terminal with an initial capacity of 450,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) capacity and capable of being extended by up to one million TEUs in the second phase.