Shipwrecks, fires and flooding in the port of La Boca, Buenos Aires

According to the National Hydrographic Service of Argentina, there are records of five flood events for the year 1940, where the water rose over 2.60 m above the Riachuelo’s average level. The flood of the 14 April proved to be the most disastrous, and the worst of the century, as La Boca and coastal neighbourhoods flooded for 40 hours (the combined recorded time for all floods that year is 49 hours), paralysing the city of Buenos Aires and great part of the province. Water reached the highest historical record of 4.65 m above average, according to La Boca firefighters. 

The April 1940 flood was the product of a meteorological phenomenon common to a vast region around the estuary of the Río de la Plata, the Sudestada (a strong southeasterly wind). This happens when cold southwestern winds saturate masses of polar air with humidity and the southeastern winds blow against the current, being aligned to the estuary, interfering with the regular flow of the Río de la Plata and its tributaries. The difficulty in drainage combined with strong winds increases the risk of floods along the coast. 

Since 1938, there had been a system of floodgates to prevent water from entering through the drainage channels of the low-lying area. However, such was the force and speed of the current that the system proved ineffective. Within La Boca neighbourhood, many dwellings were wooden tin-roofed huts on stilts. Here, the local population was evacuated by canoe from their windows, with people seeking safety on top of tables and furniture awaiting to be rescued. 

Today, the area is part of Dock Sud in Buenos Aires, a port established in 1889 and completed in 1905 by the Great Southern Railway Company. It covers 380 hectares and support more than 40 companies. 

This is the area of the port infrastructure of Buenos Aires dedicated to the reception, storage and distribution of fuel. This includes the gas carrier and tanker terminals, and petrolchemical plants and refineries. 

On the night of the 28 June 1984, the tanker Perito Moreno burst into flames while unloading fuel at the eastern dock of Dock Sud. The Coast Guard and other firefighters battled the blaze for 11 consecutive days. Perito Moreno was completed at El Ferrol (Spain) in 1967 to Lloyd’s Register class (LR/IMO no. 6512421). She was a motor tanker of 12,622 gross tons operating in coastal waters, fitted with 21 tanks and a capacity of 25,385 cubic metres of oil (more than 2.5 million litres or circa 160,000 barrels).  

Perito Moreno was classed with Lloyd’s Register until 1971, and was subsequently out of class. On the night of the 28 June 1984, a fire broke out on board the tanker while it was unloading fuel in Dock Sud. A huge explosion followed, with the vessel breaking in two and flames and thick smoke reaching a height of 200 m. The prompt response of the firefighters prevented the flames from reaching the nearby onshore fuel storage tanks, which would have caused a major catastrophe if they had exploded. 

Firefighters battled the blaze for 11 consecutive days. As the fire on the Perito Moreno raged, four crew members jumped off the ship and swam to shore. Ambulance access was difficult due to the intense heat from the blaze spread hundreds of metres around the tanker. The day following the explosion, a group of firefighters climbed aboard to directly tackle the fire at its source, while chain explosions were still happening inside the hull. The Argentinian President Raúl Alfonsín went to Dock Sud in person against the recommendations of his advisors. The entire dock infrastructure was still at risk of explosion.  

As the fire intensified in the stern, firefighters were forced to withdraw from the tanker, still trying to prevent the explosion of Tank 6, loaded with 3,000 cubic metres of crude oil. After several more days of efforts, the flames were completely extinguished on the 9 July and a day of national festivities proclaimed for the following day.1 

The explosion of Perito Moreno was one of the most memorable events for residents living next to Dock Sud. Local and environmental groups were formed, calling for community relocation and better safety controls at the petrochemical complex. 

This Small Grant project has examined fires and floods in the urban area of the Port of Buenos Aires, bringing forward evidence and insight these risks. By revisiting historic events, the study shows how past dangers reappear in the present, reminding us that today’s conditions shape the immediate future. The two cases examined here highlight the need for broad preparedness in managing risk. 

In the first case, the risk of water and wind in the Río de la Plata estuary was addressed in 1999 through flood control works in La Boca and Barracas, which tackled the main causes of flooding in the area. On the second issue of fire risk, the dataset on fire‑damaged ruins reveals the complex and sensitive issue of human vulnerability.