Martín García Island, Headquarters and Offices
Martín García Island is located in the Río de la Plata in front of the mouth of its two main tributaries, the Paraná and Uruguay Rivers.
The Treaty of the Río de la Plata and its Maritime Front establishes that the island is under the jurisdiction of the Argentine Republic and will be used exclusively as a natural reserve for the conservation and preservation of the native fauna and flora. It also provides that the headquarters of the Administrative Commission of the Río de la Plata shall be located on Martín García Island and entrusts CARP with the construction and administration of a park dedicated to the memory of the heroes common to both peoples.
CARP also has a sub-headquarter in the City of Buenos Aires, as well as this Museum and a Technical Office in Colonia del Sacramento (ROU).
Navigation Channels: Martin Garcia Channel
The Treaty establishes that outside the coastal strips, in the waters of common use, the Parties, jointly or individually, may construct navigation channels and whoever constructs them or has constructed them prior to the Treaty, shall maintain them, administer them, dictate their regulations and exercise control over their compliance.
For the construction of new channels, the modification or significant alteration of existing channels or the execution of any other works, the other party must first be consulted through the Administrative Commission in order to determine whether the project may cause significant damage to the navigational interests of the other party or to the regime of the river.
In 1991, both States entrusted the CARP with the call for bids for the dredging, beaconing and maintenance of the Martín García Channel. This navigable waterway, which extends 106.5 kilometers, is strategic for regional foreign trade.
The Comisión Administradora del Río de la Plata (CARP), by mandate of the States, administers this channel by charging tolls to the vessels that use it, thus obtaining the resources that allow it to keep the channel dredged and buoyed to ensure the safe transportation of goods.