Paraguay operator places new river pusher tug into service

Paraguay-based river shipping and logistics company Girona SA Rio Sur Transporte y Logistica has taken delivery of a new pusher tug.

Veronica V will serve Girona's customers along the 2,695-kilometre Paraguay River.

With river levels dropping for months during the dry season, the Paraguay River system was analysed and the resulting findings were used to create an efficient pusher vessel for these conditions. The tug's shallow draught therefore ensures year-round navigation and high cargo efficiency.

The newbuild has a length of 41 metres and a beam of 15.5 metres. In a push-barge configuration with 12-barges, the combination will measure 281 by 48 metres to enabling large-scale cargo transport with maximum operational efficiency.

Girona will primarily deploy the combinations for transporting dry bulk cargo along the Paraguay-Paraná Rivers, where low water levels are a recurring challenge during the dry season. Thanks to the shallow-draught design, the vessels can maintain operations year-round, even when the water level drops to less than two metres.