The National Ports Agency has issued a formal complaint to Gustavo Melella's administration regarding the use of funds raised from the Ushuaia port terminal to finance provincial social services. The conflict, which is governed by a strict legal framework, exposes the political and economic tension between Buenos Aires and Tierra del Fuego, with an uncertain future.

Administrative tranquility in the south of the country has been shaken by a harsh rebuke from the National Ports and Navigation Agency (ANPyN) to the governments of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica, and the South Atlantic Islands. The measure, motivated by a union complaint, demands that the provincial executive branch provide an explanation within five business days for the diversion of funds from the Provincial Port Authority (DPP) to the Fuegian State Social Welfare Agency (OSEF).

The notification, dated September 5, 2025, considers the sanction of Provincial Law No. 1596 a "serious breach" of current regulations. According to the document, the use of port revenues for purposes unrelated to the activity, such as financing a health system, explicitly violates National Port Activities Law No. 24,093.

According to the complaint filed by Juan Avellaneda, Secretary General of the Union of Senior Railway Personnel, who filed the claim with the National Government, the provincial government is seeking to take from the port for the social security system in the amount of $7.4 billion. This figure arises in the context of the multimillion-dollar debt accumulated by the Fuegian State Social Security Fund (OSEF) to its providers.

A restrictive legal framework

The national body's main justification lies in the seventh clause of the port agreement . This clause is exhaustive: it establishes that port revenues must be "accounted for separately from provincial general revenues." and applied "exclusively" to administration, operation, training and investment expenses related to port activity.

The communication, signed by the Executive Director of the ANPyN, Iñaki Arreysegor , underlines "the seriousness of the violation and the consequences it entails not only for the port activity of the Port of Ushuaia, but also for the Argentine Republic." The note was copied to the highest provincial authorities, including Vice Governor Mónica Urquiza, Chief of Staff Agustín Tita, and the directors of the DPP, which underscores the formality and severity of the complaint.