The Camanchaca company, which operates in the suspended Puerto Coronel, indicates that the illegal blockade of the port, along with damaging the productive export and economic ecosystem, also damages the international image of the Bío Bío logistics system.
The Camanchaca fishing company, a company located near Puerto Coronel, located in Biobío, a region in southern Chile, accused a serious impact on its products that are trapped in the terminal and others unable to reach their destination.
The above, as a consequence of the port conflict that is already progressing into its 51st day.
The Camanchaca company in Coronel indicates that the illegal blockade of the port, along with damaging the productive export and economic ecosystem, also damages the international image of the Bío Bío logistics system, with consequences that are currently incalculable.
Along with asking the Government of Gabriel Boric to comply with the law and the rule of law, the Logistics Manager of Camanchaca, Mario Aguilera, indicated that for almost two months 110 tons of products have been trapped inside the port.
“50 days ago we had 5 containers with mussels trapped inside the port, equivalent to 110 tons of high-value product,” he warned.
“We do not know if the storage conditions have been maintained or if they will continue to be suitable for export and we risk losing that production,” he criticized.
The person responsible for the company's commercial logistics added that the most serious case represents a load of 6,200 tons of frozen horse mackerel for export.
Although “we managed to load 1,200 tons on the ship when the strike began,” he assured that “we were not able to complete the shipment.”
“We tried to take that cargo to other ports in the area and the Port Union (which groups together temporary unions that have taken over the port today) blocked the other regional terminals to prevent exports, deepening the impact,” he said.
Due to the above, Aguilera warned that the commercial and reputational damage for the Bío Bío region has become very serious and, also pointing to the response of the Regional Delegation and Ministries that only refer to the problem as a private matter, he called it of an economic disaster.
“The logistical disruption is tremendous for those of us who operate in Bío Bío. I insist, this will have serious repercussions that are difficult to estimate today, but the truth is that confidence in the country will have been damaged. To date, losses exceed $400 million (US$434,100),” he concluded.
CHILEAN GOVERNMENT CONFIRMED CONTACT WITH ARGENTINE DIPLOMACY
On the other hand, the Boric government confirmed that it is in contact with the Argentine embassy about the situation that affects fruit producers in that country due to the prolonged strike in the port of Coronel.
Although most of the cargo has been redirected to other terminals since the mobilization of workers in Puerto Coronel began, there are about 150 containers that are stranded with fruit, mainly pears and apples from the Argentine Chamber of Fruit Growers, and that they were destined for the United States.
In response to questions from Radio Biobío , the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the Argentine embassy was indeed contacted about this situation, so they are pending and collaborating to find a solution to the issue, in coordination with other ministries and services.
Also the presidential delegate in the Bío Bío region, Daniela Dresdner, acknowledged having taken part in efforts that have been made at the level of the foreign ministry and economic relations, due to the impact of the closure of the port on fruit markets in other countries.
The authority also maintained that what terminal executives want to solve by force must be done through dialogue with the workers, in reference to questions from the port to the government for not supporting an eviction by force.
The contractors who work with the port have reiterated that the extensive mobilization harms hundreds of families. According to their spokesperson Mario Alarcón, they were able to verify in the same terminal that temporary workers are the ones who do not allow entry.
THEY DO NOT RULE OUT LEGAL ACTIONS
The Argentine fruit sector is surprised that a union conflict has lasted for more than a month and a half. In conversation with Radio Biobío they said that they considered Chile to be an example in terms of institutions and respect for law.
They also warned that someone will have to pay for the economic loss and they did not rule out filing legal actions in Chilean courts.
In terms of economic impact, there are more than a hundred transporters affected by this paralysis of the main port terminal in the Bío Bío region. The National Confederation of Truck Owners called on the workers and the company to definitively resolve the labor dispute between the parties.
According to the union, this has caused them million-dollar losses and breach of contracts due to force majeure with clients, in addition to affecting the entire logistics chain, causing serious collateral effects for those who are not part of the conflict, but are equally harmed.
