President Gabriel Boric led the ceremony for the start of the works on the second stage of the Puerto Williams multipurpose pier, which includes the construction of port infrastructure suitable for the docking of cruise ships, scientific vessels, fuel supply ships, and for servicing the larger ships of the Navy.
The meeting was also attended by the Minister of Public Works, Jessica López; the acting Governor of the Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica Region, Eugenia Mancilla; the regional presidential delegate, José Ruiz; the provincial presidential delegate, Constanza Calisto; and the Mayor of Cabo de Hornos, Patricio Fernández.
“We are very happy to be starting the second stage of the works for the future multipurpose pier, a project that is strategic for the development of Puerto Williams and its people. This southern city, the southernmost in the world, is key for the projection of our Antarctic sovereignty. During our Government, we have placed special emphasis on the importance of Chile’s role as a gateway to the white continent for the world,” stated the President.
“Puerto Williams, to enhance everything related to Antarctica, is indeed key, but, in addition, Puerto Williams has unparalleled tourism potential. This project, which is the multipurpose pier, will give Puerto Williams and its surroundings the port infrastructure it needs to receive the large cruise ships and scientific vessels that transit with increasing frequency through the Beagle Channel bound for Antarctica. Furthermore, it will allow for the servicing of the Navy’s larger ships, which cannot operate with all facilities at the Guardián Brito pier due to their size. We would love to have, at some point, our squadron here in Puerto Williams.”, he added.
In line with information provided by the Dirección de Obras Portuarias (DOP) of the Ministerio de Obras Públicas (MOP), the pier will have the capacity to receive vessels of up to 240 meters in length with a maximum draft of 9 meters.
Its new phase, which is estimated to take 578 days to complete, consists of the construction of two dolphins for the direct docking of ships, in addition to four mooring posts to support the vessels’ mooring lines.
Added to the above is the first stage of the project, which began in 2021 under the Government of President Sebastián Piñera and is currently concluded. It included a 150-meter bridge to access the pier with a 130-meter front head and a platform for the pier’s different functions and buildings.
“With the launch of the buoy for the first dolphin, we begin the second stage of construction of this pier, which consists of the support elements for the docking of all vessels. This, like so many other works, transcends and has a longer history than the four years we have been in Government. Its construction began in 2021 under the mandate of former President Piñera and will continue its course in the coming years, always with the objective of enhancing the development of the territory with State works that transcend Governments,” emphasized President Boric.
“I also want to highlight that this multipurpose pier is part of the Plan Especial de Zonas Extremas de Magallanes (PEDZE), which we updated a few days ago and to which we gave permanent status in the legislation.
“That it not be an exception and that the development of the extreme zones is not mediated by decisions at the central level that do not take charge of the reality of what it means to live here,” he expanded.
The initiative implies a total investment of more than 50 billion pesos, executed both through the National Fund for Regional Development and sectorial funds of the MOP. Phase one contemplated the disbursement of 20.583 billion pesos, while the second round will use 20.407 billion pesos.
The remaining 10 billion pesos will be used to execute stages 3 and 4, which involve works such as the completion and paving of the esplanade, a potable water circuit for supplying moored vessels, tanks and a fuel supply system for ships, the construction of a building for passenger reception and another annex for administration.
Puerto Williams | President of the Republic, Gabriel Boric Font, leads the start of works for stage II of the construction of the Multi-Purpose Port Infrastructure.
