By Andrés Orrego Siebert
Faced with the adverse effects that the Chacao Bridge will have on cruise ship activity in Puerto Montt, due to the impediment of large vessel transit under the viaduct, the Empresa Portuaria de Puerto Montt (Empormontt) has proposed strengthening the city of Ancud, on the island of Chiloé, as a new destination. Similarly, the state-owned company proposes that the regional capital, given its proximity to El Tepual Airport, become a new homeport for passengers of discovery, exploration, research, and ultra-luxury ships heading to Antarctica.
The restrictive situation for navigability, it should be recalled, was revealed on April 1, 2015, when Wouter Van Hoogdalem, then captain of the Zaandam, warned that the height of the viaduct would complicate the transit of large cruise ships. The news caused some media stir and various reactions at the local level in the Los Lagos Region; however, with the various delays in the connectivity project, the issue faded without actions, concrete ideas, or structural changes that could enable the operation of this type of vessel under the bridge that will connect Chiloé and the mainland in three minutes.
In that context, Julián Goñi, president of the Empresa Portuaria de Puerto Montt, pointed out that the bridge will bring logistical benefits, but drawbacks in the area of cruises. Indeed, the regional capital of Los Lagos will lose 30% of its port calls and 60% of the passengers served. However, a truck will be able to save 50 minutes in cargo transport.
“The bridge will have impacts on logistical issues with savings, in economic terms, with three to four hours less from Quellón to Puerto Montt. This has been an issue that needs to be further explored, and we have done the work that corresponds to us, because we are not the Dirección de Obras Portuarias, we do not build ports, but we manage them. Nor are we the entity that must promote the supply of tourist products that are necessary to excite shipping companies and tour operators so that they make their decisions,” said Goñi.
“In 2023, we commissioned and financed a study to determine which of the bays on the outer side of the Chacao Bridge could receive cruise ships, and what became clear was that the best conditions were presented by the bay of Ancud due to winds and tides. Carelmapu was the other identified area, but there dredging would have to be carried out every year,” he added.
The president of the state-owned company also stated that they approached the Comisión Regional de Borde Costero to have the aquatic space declared a port facility. Similarly, they have coordinated with the Municipality of Ancud to strengthen onshore infrastructure, as well as security.
When asked what will happen to Puerto Montt if cruise infrastructure is built in Ancud, Goñi stated that “this year, in Puerto Montt alone there are 34 port calls and in Castro, 18. Of these 34 port calls, there are six cruise ships that are more than 55 meters (high), so if the bridge were completed, Puerto Montt would lose 30% of the port calls and 60% of the passengers, and there is very little that can be done about this, because this is a fait accompli. The other thing is that the bridge is not completed, and that would be very bad news for the region and for the logistical activity in southern Chile, which is going to change the productive physiognomy.”
Therefore, it is necessary here to work with special interest cruises, that is, ultra-luxury, discovery and exploration cruises, because they are small ships that carry between 250 to 1,000 passengers and these are people who disembark to get to know the places. For them to arrive, it is about turning Puerto Montt into a homeport.
“Making a homeport will allow us to invigorate the local economy much more, because the tourists who come today do so with pre-arranged packages, so it is the tour operator that has the main income. For this, all that would be needed is to have a greater presence of Customs and SAG at the airport, enhance the gastronomic offerings and the urban tourism that highlights the historical and cultural wealth of Puerto Montt and its surroundings,” observed Goñi.
If the alternatives proposed by the state port company move forward, for which the Municipality of Ancud is also working, the Los Lagos Region could see an increase in cruise activity by adding ports in the area where Patagonia begins.
