River Barges in South America
On the Parana-Paraguay River, one of South America's most important waterways, our Impala joint venture has invested in a fleet of modern barges that can move vital resources from Argentina to landlocked Paraguay and Bolivia. On the return journey, the same barges carry agricultural products for export to global markets.
In South America we are using the Parana – Paraguay waterway to deliver vital petroleum products to consumers in landlocked locations, more efficiently than by road.
We have invested in a fleet of double-hulled barges that can transport diesel, jet fuel, gasoline and naphtha from River Plate in Argentina to Paraguay, Brazil and Bolivia. On the return trip, the barges can be used to carry soybean oil, ethanol and biodiesel for export.
3,000km transport corridor
A critical two-way artery for diesel, jet fuel, gasoline and exports between
The journey commences in Argentina, where Trafigura’s Campana Terminal is the base for loading the barges. The 150-hectare site has 14 storage tanks and its purpose-built river jetties can handle up to four barges at a time.
Combined with our storage and shipment terminals along both of the rivers, our river barging project has created a transport corridor of nearly 3,000 kilometres.
The convoys, which are operated by Impala Terminals, comprise 52 barges with a total capacity of 157,900 cubic metres – equivalent to almost 47 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Barges
Total capacity
Modern navigation systems
The tugs that push our barges are fitted with modern navigation systems while GPS positioning systems monitor the exact location of each convoy and the quantity of goods it is carrying.
The new infrastructure and logistics have opened a critical two-way artery for growing trade along the route.
“We take pride in providing our customers with safe and efficient logistics in the Parana-Paraguay Waterway. Responsible operations are at the core of our mission.”
Federico Zorraquin
General Manager Impala Paraguay
