Katoen Natie's Montevideo terminal weighs lawsuit over dockworker strikes
Terminal Cuenca del Plata (TCP), 80% owned by Katoen Natie, is weighing a civil claim for losses it attributes to dockworker stoppages during 2026, which it puts at 379.5 hours of interrupted activity over 45 days between 1 January and 11 September. TCP estimates combined direct and Uruguayan foreign-trade losses could reach tens of millions of dollars, a figure it has not finalised. Talks with the Supra union on a new collective agreement have been unresolved since the previous deal expired in April; the union says the dispute concerns worker guarantees alone and rejects suggestions it serves outside interests.
Why this mattersRepeated stoppages at Uruguay's only container terminal are pushing volumes to the public quays and Buenos Aires while a rival terminal proposal advances.
- TCP recorded 379.5 hours of interrupted activity over 45 days between 1 January and 11 September 2026.
- TCP estimates combined direct and Uruguayan foreign-trade losses could reach tens of millions of dollars; the amount is not final.
- Freight bodies estimated daily losses of USD 400,000-500,000 during the disruptions, with truck queues delayed up to 18 hours.
- MSC moved part of its Montevideo services to its Buenos Aires terminal.
- TCP is 80% owned by Katoen Natie and 20% by Uruguay's National Ports Administration, and is the country's only dedicated container terminal.
- Montevideo's long-haul container volumes rose almost 5% in the first seven months of 2026.