|
|
|
History
|
Our terminal, a key element in the history of the Port.
Montevideo, an attractive historic city on the east coast of Río de la Plata, will be considered in the twentyfirst century the capital of Mercosur.
The Port of Montevideo has always been the driving force behind the history and development of our city.
The bay of Montevideo has been a safe port since 1516, when it was discovered by Spanish sailors. It has more favorable natural conditions than the port of Buenos Aires, allowing since then the entry of larger ships, and it is strategically located at the mouth of Río de la Plata. The Spanish Army chose the Port of Montevideo as their official anchoring place in the south of America, even though Montevideo was much smaller city than Buenos Aires.
From that moment on, the Port of Montevideo has been the port for transshipment of goods to and from Argentina, and competition with Buenos Aires has been fierce.
The cornerstone of the port was laid in the early 1900’s, when French and Belgian construction companies erected the original infrastructure, including the Sarandí Breakwater.
At that time the Uruguayan government, counseled by Belgian dredging companies, determined by law that the access channel to the Port of Montevideo should be dredged to -10 metros (in reference to the official 0), so the quaywalls were built over foundations that would allow dredging to that depth.
This foresight is what made the port of Montevideo to remain competitive until today.
Currently the important development of regional commerce and the increasing containerization of maritime cargo have pushed the shipping lines to significantly increase the size of their ships, which, in turn, demand more investments in bigger, sturdier quaywalls, larger container yards and deeper dredging.
The terminal is on the right path, leading the way for the port of Montevideo to become the regional hub port.
Simultaneously, the port authority, responsible for the dredging of the access channel and the inner areas of the port of Montevideo, must guarantee to the shipping lines and to the terminal operators that those areas will be dredged to the required depths when needed.
Montevideo’s port activity has become vital for the development of the country. The port is the bridge which allows exporters to conquer new markets abroad. It is the arriving place for imported goods entering the region and the country.
Uruguayan businessmen and political leaders are well aware of the importance of the port and the container terminal for our country, as well as for our city. They know that this is the source of our country’s wealth.
They know that competition with our neighbouring ports is hard and that our rivals would give everything to attract new clients and take our share of the market to their own countries and maritime communities.
Fortunately, our public and private leaders understand the importance of working together to develop a strategy to improve our port and terminal, turning them into the main hub of the South East coast of Latin America.
This collective and joined vision and the will of our country’s leaders, the unmatched geographical location at a cross roads of ocean routes in a thriving Latin America, and the support of state-of-the-art technology, guarantee the future success and economic growth. The terminal is the cornerstone for increasing trade and added value in Montevideo and Uruguay.
|
|
|