Prefectura Naval Argentina Districts distribution

PNA Organization

Building "Guardacostas "  Headquarters of the Prefectura Naval  Argentina  Buenos Aires - Argentina

Within the range of national institutions, the PREFECTURA NAVAL ARGENTINA (PNA-ARGENTINE COAST GUARD) is a Safety and Security Force which reports to the Domestic Security Secretariat - Nation Presidency-.

The PNA can be defined as a specialized Police Service with particular dimensions, directed towards functions such as the Safety of Navigation Police, Security and Public Order Police, Judicial Police and Navigational Issues Police. Likewise, Prefectura provides many other services within the scope of its functions, such as Environmental Preservation Police, Maritime and River Fishing Police, and -by delegation- Customs, Migratory and Sanitary Auxiliary Police.

The PNA does not only have a wide geographical field of action, characterized by particular local problems, buy also carries out a wide spectrum of highly technically complex functions within a switching environment under increasingly technological development. Within this context, the safety of life and property at sea, in port and on shore is a high priority activity demanding timely and accurate responses. In order to meet these requirements, the PNA has adopted a flexible and adjustable approach, keeping in mind centralized standards and executive decentralization.

SENIOR MANAGEMENT Area
Prefectura Nacional (Commandant’s Office): it is the body by means of which the Commandant directs the Service at the top level, with the assistance and counselling of the General Secretariat, the Intelligence Service, the Naval Technical and Legal Advisory Service and the High Rank Officer Council and Consultative Councils.

Subprefectura Nacional (Vice Commandant’s Office): ethrough this body the Vice Commandant assists the Commandant in planning the whole range of PNA activities, monitoring and controlling all departments and units at the highest level.

EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT Area.
It consists of the Safety of Navigation Police Direction, the Safety and Judicial Police Direction and the Environment Protection Direction. They report to the Commandant, as the remaining directions do. These Directions perform a Naval Police Service with auxiliary police functions, the normative and registry aspects thereof and their supervision.

SUPPORT area.
It consists of the Personnel, Material, Training and Administration Directions, which are responsible for the recruitment, distribution, support and maintenance of personnel and materials, as well as the economic, finance and accounting management of Prefectura.

OPERATIONAL area.
It consists of the Operations Direction. Its purpose is to ensure that statutes, rules and orders are enforced. With this purpose it coordinates the work of its different units in order to guarantee that PNA functions are fulfilled at every point within its jurisdiction.

Scope and Geographical Deployment

The geographical features of the different areas in which Prefectura Naval Argentina (PNA) carries out its functions impose different modalities on the tasks performed by this service.

According to the provisions of its Organic Act, PNA performs its tasks in the following areas: seas, lakes, rivers, channels and navigable waters devoted to interjurisdictional traffic and trade; ports under national jurisdiction; Argentine Antarctic Territory; Malvinas and other South Atlantic islands; sea and river shores and beaches; Maritime Frontier Security Areas; and navigable river shores.

PNA carries out its function on vessels in jurisdictional waters and on Argentine flag vessels at high seas and foreign ports, as regards matters connected to navigation safety

Enforcement, navigation administrative affairs supervision, and in all cases which fall outside the jurisdiction of a local State according to the provisions of public international law.

PNA operational structure and administrative resources are organized according to the different areas of activities and functions imposed by legislation. The territorial jurisdiction is divided into 10 Prefecturas de Zona (Coast Guard Districts), each one with several units, as follows:

1- UPPER PARANÁ DISTRICT
It is made up of the following units: Prefectura de Posadas; Prefectura de Iguazú; Prefectura de San Javier; Subprefectura de Ita Ibaté; Subprefectura de Ituzaingó; Subprefectura Libertador General San Martín; and Subprefectura de Eldorado.
This area has the largest number of Reinforced Detachments and units of all PNA. Here the river forms the natural borderline with Brazil and Paraguay.
The river extension and narrowness, as well as the wild vegetation, create a favourable environment for drug trafficking, smuggling and other offences.

2- UPPER URUGUAY DISTRICT
The following units can be found within its jurisdiction: Prefectura de Paso de los Libres; Prefectura de Santo Tomé; Subprefectura de Monte Caseros; Subprefectura de Yapeyú; Subprefectura de Alvear; and Subprefectura de Garruchos.
In this area the river forms the natural borderline with Brazil and Uruguay and PNA’s main duties here are the prevention and control of drug trafficking and smuggling as well as the migratory control.

3- UPPER PARANÁ AND PARAGUAY DISTRICT
EIt comprises Prefectura de Barranqueras; Prefectura de Corrientes; and Prefectura de Formosa; Subprefectura de Reconquista; Subprefectura de Goya; Subprefectura de Paso de la Patria; Subprefectura de Itatí; and Subprefectura de Pilcomayo.
This is a heavy traffic area, and trade vessels mainly sail to and from Paraguay. Continuous migratory control and strict surveillance is kept on this borderline area in order to prevent and control drug trafficking and smuggling. In addition, there is an increasing sports fishing activity.

4- LOWER URUGUAY DISTRICT
It includes Prefectura de Concepción del Uruguay; Prefectura de Concordia; Subprefectura de Gualeguaychú; Subprefectura de Colón; Subprefectura de Salto Grande; and Subprefectura de Federación.
Recreational boats, trade vessels and sand and boulder barges are active in this area. Here the river forms the natural borderline with Uruguay and PNA is therefore in charge of preventing and controlling drug trafficking and smuggling.

5- LOWER PARANÁ DISTRICT
The following units can be found within its jurisdiction: Prefectura de San Nicolás; Prefectura de Villa Constitución; Prefectura de Rosario; Prefectura de San Lorenzo; Prefectura de Santa Fe; Prefectura de Paraná; Subprefectura de Ramallo; Subprefectura de Diamante; and Subprefectura de La Paz.
This is a heavy traffic area engaged in farming exportation and liquid fuel transport, with a large number of recreational boats. It is the only waterway to and from Alto Paraná and Paraguay ports.

6- DELTA DISTRICT
It is composed of: Prefectura de San Isidro; Prefectura de Tigre; Prefectura de Campana; Prefectura de Zárate; Subprefectura de Olivos; Subprefectura de Escobar; Subprefectura de San Pedro; Subprefectura de Guazú Guazucito; and Subprefectura de Paranacito. This area shows an important traffic of sea-going and passenger vessels as well as ships engaged in national and international coastal sailing. Moreover, the highest number of recreational boats in the country are found in this area.

7- RIVER PLATE DISTRICT
The following units are found: Prefecturas de Buenos Aires; Prefectura de Dock Sud; Prefectura de La Plata; and Subprefectura General Lavalle.
The port of Buenos Aires receives a large percentage of the total sea-going and coastal sailing traffic. Dock Sud and La Plata ports are not only well-prepared to receive chemicals, oil and by-products but also well-equipped with casualty prevention equipment.

8- ARGENTINE NORTHERN SEA DISTRICT
It consists of the following units: Prefectura de Mar del Plata; Prefectura de Quequén; Prefectura de Bahía Blanca; Prefectura de Puerto Madryn; Subprefectura de Patagones; Subprefectura de San Antonio Oeste; and Subprefectura de Rawson.
The area’s main features are fishing activities, at Mar del Plata and Madryn ports, and large grain terminals with deep sea ports, located at Quequén and Bahía Blanca. Fruits and vegetables from the upper valley of Río Negro are sent abroad through San Antonio Oeste.

9- ARGENTINE SOUTHERN SEA DISTRICT
Prefectura de Comodoro Rivadavia; Prefectura de Puerto Deseado; Prefectura de Río Gallegos e Islas Malvinas; Prefectura de Río Grande; Prefectura de Ushuaia e Islas del Atlántico Sur; Subprefectura de San Julián; and Subprefectura de Santa Cruz comprise the Argentine Southern Sea District.
Fishing activities are very important at Deseado and Punta Quilla ports, and Comodoro Rivadavia is the most important port devoted to oil traffic in the country. Moreover, Ushuaia port is a strategically important area and constitutes the last continental call on the way to Antarctica.

10- COMAHUE AND LAKES DISTRICT
Over 80 navigable lakes are found in the southern provinces of Neuquén, Río Negro and Chubut.
Recreational boating is very important –many passengers visit the lakes as well as the national parks in the region. This area is particularly controlled by Prefectura de San Carlos de Bariloche, Subprefectura de Neuquén and their corresponding units due to the high ecological sensitivity of the area.