The Chilean ports in the Biobio region, such as the terminals of Puerto Coronel, San Vicente International Terminal (SVTI) and DP World Lirquen, have become a logistics alternative for Argentine producers and entrepreneurs interested in shipping their products to the Asian market.
According to Rodrigo Schilling, the commercial manager of Puerto Coronel, “the Argentine cargo is mostly made up of fruit and at the end of the first semester, it reached 1,200 containers, which was in line with our projections. Even though the fruit production of the Valley of Neuquen has been falling for several years due to internal economic factors, exports that leave through Chilean ports are growing steadily because Argentina is betting heavily on the Asian market, especially China.”
According to Gloria Romero, the commercial head of SVTI, during 2018, the ports of the Biobio region transferred 2,500 containers from Argentina. So far this year, the figure already exceeds 3,000 containers.
Regarding their prospects to continue consolidating this type of services for Argentine cargoes, Romero stressed that “the SVTI projects itself as a real alternative that has comparative advantages over other ports. We have invested in state-of-the-art infrastructure that allows us to offer a faster, more efficient, and safer service.” In addition, she said, the terminal, which is located in the Bay of San Vicente, has an important infrastructure that allows attending both dry and reefer loads, and our personnel have been trained to consolidate different load formats.
DP World Lirquen reported that the transit time they offer for Argentine cargoes destined for Asia is lower than what the ports of Argentina currently offer.
The port authorities highlighted the role of the regional authorities "as engines that generate conditions of efficiency and reliability in the export and import processes, which allows us as a region to add value to the foreign trade logistics chain."
Source: mundomaritimo.cl
