Partner of PSTBN publishes article on flagging
Our Managing Partner, Francisco Peroni, has published an interesting article on the newspaper 5 Días, on flagging of barges:
“Under no circumstances may the country depend on foreign flag vessels in the future.
It is well known that freedom of navigation for international rivers constitutes an international principle proclaimed by Paraguay since the beginning of its independence. In 1812, the Superior Government Board in Paraguay endorsed this principle due to the obstacles imposed for the navigation of international rivers.
The rivers, where our country trades with the world are a natural “river highway” for the development of the country, but the ease of navigation has changed little in the last 200 years. Rivers, by themselves, are not a strategic factor, what makes them a strategic way of connectivity are the ships that sail them, moving import and export charges to our country. We must therefore change the course that has recently been regulated, for the incorporation of boats such must certainly be formalized, but it shall be carried out adopting processes that facilitate the incorporation of vessels beyond their origin, the incorporation mode and the flagging time.
Take as an example countries like Panama, where the navigation and the incorporation of ships to their flag is also strategic to enhance the channel. It is therefore imperative to streamline and ease the registers, the registration of mortgages, leasing and import contracts, therefore enhancing a strategic fleet that maintains the connectivity of our country in trade with the world.
Under no circumstances may the country depend on foreign-flagged vessels in the future, as Carlos A. Lopez already understood it, and therefore we must not condition the maintenance of the world´s third fluvial fleet, to other interests that are not sustaining the most important and natural mean of connectivity and independence of our country when handling its charges in a free and exclusive way. It does not take more than 5 reasoning minutes to understand this.”