Chubut Province Introduces Bill for Joint Management of Puerto Rawson and Puerto Camarones, Port Authority Devolution Enters Legislative Process

Ignacio Torres, Governor of Chubut Province, Argentina, submitted a bill on November 11 (Wednesday) at the provincial government building to establish separate port management bodies for the ports of Rawson and Camarones, composed of representatives of the provincial government, municipal governments and the business community. Damián Biss, Mayor of Rawson; Claudia Loyola, Mayor of Camarones; provincial legislators and representatives of the fisheries sector attended the launch event, as did Gustavo González, President of the Chubut Yellow Fleet Chamber (CAFACH).

At present, the two ports are managed by the Provincial Port Executive Unit (UEPP) under the fisheries secretariat. The specific form of participation by each party in the new bodies will depend on the institutional design ultimately approved by the provincial legislature. Torres linked the proposal to the need to coordinate national responsibilities and corporate investment, and put it forward as a means of improving port competitiveness.

Mayor Biss of Rawson framed the initiative as a demand that Rawson has pursued for more than twenty years. He said port management for Puerto Rawson is a requirement the local community has upheld for over two decades. Biss described a board structure composed of the provincial government, the municipality and business representatives, grounding local participation in the municipality's responsibility for cleaning, environmental upkeep and order management in the port area. According to him, the growth of fishing, especially the yellow fleet engaged in shrimp fishing, has expanded the infrastructure needs of the dock, and port activity drives local services and employment.

Mayor Loyola of Camarones raised the need for the locality to have a say in dock maintenance and to improve the services provided to vessels. She said each port will have its own independent management body suited to its characteristics, and described port management as an important tool for working with the private sector to continue strengthening fishing and tourism, the two pillars of local development.

CAFACH supports the reform, citing its potential effect on investment continuity. González noted that changes of government can affect the execution of works, and argued that user participation can keep operational priorities continuous across different administrations.

The port management restructuring follows an administrative reform. On September 3, the Chubut provincial legislature approved amendments to the public works code and the rules governing the UEPP, clarifying the body's authority over the execution of port infrastructure works. Dredging of Puerto Rawson was one of the works mentioned in that debate.

On investment, Torres confirmed at the launch event that the province plans to commit more than 7 billion pesos to dredging, while the private sector has pledged to fund the construction of an additional 50 meters of dock, involving both the east and west areas. The agreement was announced on May 21, when the provincial government said it would fund the work at the mouth of the Chubut River with its own resources, while fishing companies would extend the mooring frontage.

According to the provincial diagnosis, siltation has gradually reduced the depth of the channel into and out of the port, restricting vessel movement; the works launched in 2023 had previously been interrupted. The aim of the dredging is to restore navigable conditions, while the dock extension would provide more space to accommodate the fleet.

Regarding the corporate contribution, González suggested that the expansion funding could come from channel use and maintenance fees, and linked the management of those fees to the future port body. This proposal still needs to be implemented through the financing mechanism ultimately adopted. Biss, for his part, placed the possible start of dredging after the fishing season; this is the mayor's own projection and depends on the tender and execution schedule for the works.

At the legislative level, the proposal is advancing in parallel with the formation of an 18-member cross-party bloc of deputies drawn from "Despertar Chubut" and other political spaces. The agreement aims to coordinate positions and advance a common legislative agenda. Daniel Hollmann, head of the "Despertar Chubut" bloc, said the deputies are drafting a bill and will convene the municipalities and chambers of commerce for discussion, with the stated goal of passing the law before the end of the year. The text produced through the legislative process will determine how each port management body is organized and the scope of each sector's participation.