Consorcio de Gestion del Puerto de Bahia Blanca (CGPBB) – Port Authority of Bahía Blanca
Mr Agustin Padovani, Engineer-in-charge of Aids to Navigation reports by way of introduction the work of one of our new members:
The Port Authority of Bahía Blanca, or Consorcio de Gestión del Puerto de Bahía Blanca (CGPBB), is a non-governmental public organisation that was created in 1993 to be in charge of the administration, maintenance and control of common spaces and port infrastructure of the Port of Bahía Blanca, which is one of the most important for the economic growth of the region and Argentina.
Bahía Blanca is a southern city of Buenos Aires province, and its Port is located within the estuary of Bahía Blanca, an area of 2,400 km 2 of water and 638 hectares of land. With fourteen operational berths and two single point buoys at Puerto Rosales, approximately 30 million tons of goods are transported every year (mainly grain, oilseed and by-products).
The access channel to the Port of Bahía Blanca is 97 km long, 190 m wide and allows the navigation of vessels with a maximum draft of 45 feet. The aids to navigation system counts with 68 buoys and 4 fixed beacons. Vessel traffic is permanently monitored by the VTS, which contributes to enhance the safety for navigation.
The Dredging and Aids to Navigation Department of CGPBB is responsible for the maintenance of the Port AtoN system, providing the necessary means and goods and implementing best practices in order to comply with IALA Standards, following the IALA Recommendations and Guidelines as appropriate.
Rapporteur: Paul Ridgway