ARGENTINA Law and Practice Contributed by: María Belén Espiñeira, International Transport & Logistics Legal Consultants – MB Espiñeira & Abogados
by the defaulting party in order to escape from liability. To date, there are no records of any final judicial decision in this regard. 9. Additional Maritime or Shipping Issues 9.1 Other Jurisdiction-Specific Shipping and Maritime Issues All the main maritime matters regulated by Argentine law have been covered throughout this article; nevertheless, the author would like to address the Act on the Development of the Argentine Merchant Fleet and Regional Flu - vial Integration (No 27,419), in force since 29 December 2017, which was enacted with the purpose of promoting the transport industry and the participation of Argentine ship-owners in the local market. Said act brought about the creation of the Spe - cial Registry of National Ship-Owners, which depends on the Undersecretariat of Ports, Waterways and Merchant Navy of the Minis - try of Transport, in contrast with the Registry of Onshore Personnel, which depends on the Argentine Maritime Authority. Those registered in this new registry can benefit from the advantages established by Law 27,419, among them, the reduction of obstacles to: • importing foreign vessels to incorporate them in an Argentine fleet (without paying import taxes); and
• chartering foreign-flagged vessels and naval artefacts under bareboat charter contracts within a temporary import legal regime and having them considered Argentine-flagged to all effects, including operating on national cabotage during the chartering period (ie, the vessel shall keep her foreign flag but she will receive “Argentine-flag treatment”). In addition, the Executive Power of the Argen - tine Republic issued the Decree of Necessity and Urgency 70/2023, which was published in the Official Gazette on 21 December 2023 and entered into force on 29 December 2023. This Decree declared a public emergency in the country in economic, financial, fiscal, adminis - trative, social security, tariff, health and social matters until 31 December 2025. Through the implementation of a far-reaching deregulation plan, the government plans to rebuild Argentina’s economy by immediately eliminating state barriers and restrictions that impede its normal development, while at the same time it aims to promote greater insertion in world trade. In an extensive development of more than 300 articles, measures related to various economic, customs, foreign trade, legal, labour, corporate and social aspects, among others, have been established.
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