On April 14th, 1875, during Mr. N. Avellaneda's presidency, a customs office was opened in Bahía Blanca, in compliance with Law 480 (in force for four years, passed in 1871, during Mr. D. Sarmiento's presidency).

The military officer in charge, Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Cerri, had the Customs functioning in a small wooden cabin located alongside the Napostá stream. After ten years, the commercial harbour was inaugurated, and the cabin was refurbished in brass and wood and a new room was added. It also was a victim of bad weather.

Therefore, before having a harbor, Bahía Blanca already had a Customs office, as the small anchoring site created by Congress in 1871 and enforced by the Executive in 1875, cannot be considered as a commercial harbor itself.