Presented to the public in 2008 by governor and former Rosario mayor Hermes Binner, the Puerto was originally planned to open in 2010, the year of the bicentennial of Argentina's emancipation from Spain. By 2010 the project, with a total budget estimated around 300 million pesos (about 75 million USD at the time), had not advanced. A foundation was created to publicize the project and request private donations. The bids for the first stage of the project, costing about 40 million pesos (10 million USD) were received and evaluated later that year. The opening date was moved to 2012, the bicentennial of the creation of the Argentine flag (which took place in Rosario).