Uruguay to expand key port for tourism flow

Uruguay’s port authority announced Thursday an investment of more than US$20 million to expand the port of Colonia (west), the country’s main fluvial-maritime terminal and where the most significant volume of tourists enters the country.

The work will begin in March and be completed in the second half of 2024, announced by the National Ports Administration (ANP) after signing an agreement with the Colonia department’s mayor’s office.

“This is a historical work for the Colonia terminal,” said ANP president Juan Curbelo.

The project includes expanding and constructing a third gangway and chute and the installation of fenders on the docks where ships from Buenos Aires, the Argentine capital, dock.

The ANP will also allocate another US$25 million to improve other ports in the department: the Nueva Palmira cargo terminal and the sport boat terminals in Colonia and Carmelo.

The mayor of Colonia, Carlos Moreira, said that the improvements at the terminal in Colonia (180 kilometers west of Montevideo), the department’s capital of the same name, will ensure “optimal” connectivity with the region.

So far, in 2023, the Colonia passenger terminal -which has ferry services with Buenos Aires- has received more than 420,000 people, consolidating its position as the main entry point to Uruguay.