Competing Private Ports—Lessons from Argentina

Private Sector Development Department ▪ Vice Presidency for Finance and Private Sector Development Before Argentina began reforming port operations in 1990, its ports were costly and inefficient. Restrictive labor regulations led to high labor costs. Most ports were open rather than terminal-based, leading to inefficient operating practices and unnecessary costs for cargo handling and storage. They were overregulated by multiple agencies with overlapping responsibilities. As a result of all these problems, the ports were losing market share to the road sector and to the more efficient Chilean ports.