The report stated that out of every ten ports, seven currently work without the necessary permission. The watchdog found that in Argentina there are 201 terminals, of which 41 have the correct authorization (20.4%), 18 are in the "dismissed" category (8.9%), there is one that is under the "registered" category, and 141 have their permits "pending", these account to 70.1%.

The undersecretary of Ports and Waterways is the specific department within the National Government that controls all port activity. They currently operate under the aegis of the Ministry of Interior and Transportation. While in 1992 all ports except the City of Buenos Aires became dependent on their respective states, the nation retained the power to enable operation of the terminals. That's what the Audit analyzed in its report, approved late last year.

The report states that one of the fundamental requirements needed for port clearance is to obtain an environmental impact study, as required by the General Environment Law, the 25,675 of 2002, for "any activity likely to harm the environment or affect the quality of life of the population."

However, behind closed doors, the researchers noted the "absence of handbooks or rules and procedures that would regulate environmental issues in ports". The information is not new; in fact, this data is already included in reports of the Comptroller General (SIGEN) of 2004 and 2006, and an internal audit done in 2009 by the Ministry of Planning, which once derived from the analyzed undersecretary.

Be that as it may, lack of standards is not the only flaw. The report adds that "there is no area of environmental competence, even though some of the goals and functions the various offices have are obligated to comply with this matter. Also, records show that training seminars are not offered in the undersecretary. 

With this background it is not surprising that, according to the audit, there is no documentation supporting the creation and implementation of plans to control port environmental management, or that since 2002 there appears to be no evidence requiring port managers to receive assessments on environmental impact.

All of this causes the process to authorize a port to take a lot longer that it should. Moreover, AGN adds further information; when a port obtains a permit, "the adequate follow-ups are not performed". Not to mention that the environmental qualification certificates expire after two years of being granted provided you do not modify the port’s facilities in more than 20% during that period. In any other case, the process returns to step one. 

Returning to the Environment Act, the audit revealed that, counting from 2002, there is no evidence that shows the completion of a second, and very important rule: the empowerment of citizen participation mechanisms such as consultations or public hearings specific to port activity.

Dismantlement

To get a general idea of the issue, the technicians of the AGN visited several ports around the country. In these incursions, which are not surprises, but are announced in advance, the report states that "the general conditions of the facilities show the stagnation undergone by the institution over the past decades”. Ports transferred to the provinces and/or private companies, the dredging maintenance of the waterways, and the port vessel dismantlement". The report continues: "One could observe the lack of compliance by the National Government with regulation that is required by anyone who wants to accredit a port. There are abandoned boats, some moored or in mudflats of scrap, a common situation seen in every visit. "

In one of the visits, the auditors went to the State of Misiones, where none of the ports are authorized and where there is a particularity in the State Capital of Formosa: The Yacyretá binational dam.

Those sent from AGN met with the Director of Provincial Ports. In this exchange, the report reproduces some concepts stated by the government official.

Concerning the border crossing, the Minister said that "the building Yacyretá was built without consultation and when we met with the Border Commission we saw that there was no room for us, so we declined the permits of the building because it did not qualify. Until reforms are made it will not be enabled ".

The government official told auditors that "today there is no port in Posadas or in Santa Ana. The port in the State Capital, which is going to be a dock, may take four years or more to complete," and once again he mentions the dam: "The coast that was measured by Yacyretá is trustworthy, nor is the coast clean, it is Yacyretá who has to clean it up. In the old port (constructed for passengers), Yacyretá had to demolish the building but they didn’t, they also had to do the marking and didn’t do it. In other words, the entire older infrastructure was left under water without any indications. If a medium large yacht goes into the port it will be jammed in," he warns.

As for the other terminals located on the Uruguay River, the future is more encouraging: "The Guanamí and Panambí Ports will be flooded with the new dam proposed by Brazil. In the Iguazu Port a serious problem arises when there is an overflow of water in Brazil because they open the floodgates and there floods occur downstream in the ports of the State of Misiones", the report stated.

Also in Panambí, the technitians sent by the Audit found no one in charge of the port, plus "the raft is Brazilian and is used to carry people because there is no control of migration in Brazil."

In the Soberbio port, there is no authorization for the port per se, but there are permits that allow the port to provide a raft service, the auditors warned that there is, “scattered trash on the floor and trash cans in a poor state".

On the other hand, the technicians made two visits to the ports of the Buenos Aires district, one in November 2011 and the other in May 2012, which noted that there had "been abandoned sheds with damaged and broken roofs, a mud flat area that stored 205 liters of oil. The drums which were stored (at the time of the report) had been abandoned, broken, rusty, and were leaking. Also in this area are storm drain grates that flow directly into the river ". But that was not all, the report states that they also found "boats that were supposed to be dismantled, disused vehicles that had been abandoned, marine engine parts, buoys removed, which not only created a negative visual impact, but are a source of water and soil pollution; they also detected two buried fuel tanks, yet there are no studies to verify that there were no leaks or spills, and sheds granted without restraint to private companies.”

Also, in the State of Entre Rios, no environmental impact studies on dredging, "they are just pick up and then deposited in another area within the same river," the audit says, adding, "The springs are in poor condition because of a lack of maintenance. As a matter a fact, one port has been broken since 1997, with a corresponding repair ordered that same year. As for the walls, there is a containment that is cracked, and concerning the scraps and vessels there are many boats that were sold but were never removed. There is sunken oil facility which is at risk of spilling oil if there should be another flood; this facility often has oil filter through the cracks because the walls are not in the necessary conditions."