Ports of Entre Ríos: volume, cargo, and terminals in the VNT and the Uruguay River

The ports of Entre Ríos represent fundamental logistical hubs for channeling exports and Mesopotamian cabotage. With operational docks located both along the Main Navigable Waterway (VNT) on the Paraná River and along the Uruguay River basin, the system integrates public ports and private and cooperative terminals oriented towards the departure of agricultural bulk, forestry products, and industrial inputs.

According to information published by the **National Agency of Ports and Navigable Waterways **(ANPyN), during the year 2025 the set of ports and terminals in Entre Ríos processed an annual volume of 2,449,161 tons. Meanwhile, official statistics corresponding to 2026 record a preliminary cumulative total of 1,681,710 tons.(1)

In that half-year comparison, provincial port activity exhibited an acceleration: between January and June 2026, 1,439,156 tons were moved compared to the 1,269,859 tons recorded in the first half of 2025. This positive differential of more than 160 thousand tons implied a year-on-year expansion of 13.33%, a rate that exceeded the average growth rate of the entire national port system (4.7% in the same period). This performance allowed Entre Ríos to increase its share of the total Argentine port movement, raising its share from 1.61% to 1.74%.

The distribution of tonnage at the provincial level reflects a structure concentrated in a group of facilities. Of the total of eight active terminals in the province, the private multipurpose terminal of Del Guazú, located on the Paraná Guazú, stands out as the core structuring element of the system.

La terminal portuaria mulipropósito Del Guazú S ubicada a la altura del km 178 sobre el margen izquierdo del Rio Paraná Guazú y al km 113 de la Ruta 12.

During 2025, this terminal moved 1,219,636 tons (exports and imports), representing almost 50% of all cargo operated in Entre Ríos territory. In the first half of 2026, it processed 735,388 tons, marking a year-on-year increase of 6.15% compared to the 692,795 tons of the previous cycle.

In the second spot for 2025 was the Cargill Elevator Dock in Puerto Diamante, with an annual movement of 305,790 tons (12.49% of the provincial total), followed by the Cooperativa Agrícola La Paz terminal, which added 284,444 tons (11.61%). In fourth place was the Ente Autárquico Puerto Concepción del Uruguay with 278,905 tons (11.39%), while the Ente Autárquico Puerto Ibicuy occupied the fifth position with 227,631 tons (9.29%).

The dynamics of the ports of Entre Ríos respond to a primarily emitting profile, where direct exports and outbound cabotage account for more than 95% of logistical movements. Exports to international markets represented 65.90% of operations in 2025, totaling 1,613,978 tons, mainly through three outlets: Puerto Del Guazú (grains, oils, and industrial products), Concepción del Uruguay (logs of wood), and Ibicuy (logs and minerals). In the preliminary counts for 2026, direct exports accounted for 58.01% of the provincial volume, with 975,604 tons.

Outbound cabotage fulfills a strategic role of fluvial linkage with the national oilseed and agro-export industry. During 2025, this modality concentrated 29.33% of provincial movement with 718,301 tons, and increased its weight to 36.76% in the cumulative total for 2026. This traffic consists of dispatching grains in barge convoys that depart from docks on the middle Paraná (Cargill Diamante, Cooperativa Agrícola La Paz, Cooperativa La Ganadera, La Paz - Márquez, and Maná Puerto Buey) to supply the major ports and crushing plants of the Up River region in Santa Fe (Rosario and San Lorenzo).

On the other hand, imports represent a limited segment entering exclusively through Puerto Del Guazú, with 108,596 tons in 2025 and 87,965 tons in 2026, composed primarily of fertilizers for agricultural activity and chemical inputs for industry.

The composition of non-containerized cargo in Entre Ríos is mainly concentrated in two main categories: agricultural grains and wood, which together absorbed 88.34% of all volume operated in 2025.

Grains constituted the backbone of provincial trade, with more than 1,600,000 tons in 2025 (68% of cargo) and deepening their dominance in 2026 by representing more than 75% of the provincial cumulative total. The forestry complex stood as the second most important sector in the province with 497,934 tons dispatched in 2025, contributing 190,211 tons in the partial records for 2026 (11.31%).

The rest of the provincial matrix was composed of non-traditional agricultural cargo and industrial inputs: other agricultural products totaled 108,396 tons in 2025 (4.43%) and 97,740 tons in 2026; industrial manufactures and fertilizer inputs totaled 62,100 tons in 2025 and jumped to 91,143 tons in 2026; chemicals recorded 51,571 tons in 2025; by-products added 22,079 tons; and vegetable oils contributed 19,803 tons in 2025 and 18,800 tons in 2026. The minerals category (5,004 tons in Ibicuy) and fuels (3,598 tons in Concepción del Uruguay) completed the annual records.

If we analyze together the type of cargo and the terminals that operated them in 2025, the port map of Entre Ríos is clearly delimited. Five terminals operated exclusively as grain dispatch hubs: Cargill Diamante, Cooperativa Agrícola La Paz, Cooperativa La Ganadera, La Paz - Márquez, and Maná Puerto Buey.

Two stations concentrated all forestry log outflows: Concepción del Uruguay and Ibicuy, with more than 200,000 tons of wood each. Meanwhile, Puerto Del Guazú operated as the only complex with a diversified matrix: it processed 942,599 tons of grains, 108,396 tons of other agricultural products, 62,100 tons of industrial cargo, 51,571 tons of chemical products, 22,079 tons of by-products, 19,803 tons of oils, and 13,088 tons of general cargo.
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Edited by dataPORTUARIA

Sources: National Agency of Ports and Navigable Waterways (ANPYN) and Government of Entre Ríos