Puerto quetzal

Puerto San Antonio
Port Detail
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Puerto San Antonio is Chile’s largest port and the busiest port on South America’s west coast. Located on the shores of central Chile, it is nearest the country’s capital, Santiago. In 2002, over 87 thousand people called Puerto San Antonio home. Port HistoryBefore Europeans discovered the area, the site of Puerto San Antonio was home to Huechun Cacique andhis people, who were fishers and farmers. In 1590, Portuguese Don Antonio Nunez de Fonseca received a grant of the lands. Nunez de Fonseca built warehouses there to store agricultural produce and seafood from the region for export to Santiago. In 1873, the Society of the Bodegas constructed wharves and warehouses there. Construction of the modern port began in 1910, but it was 1936 before the porthad an electrical plant, new warehouses, housing for workers, and facilities capable of handling large sea-going vessels. In 1958, Chilean law granted tax exempt status to Puerto San Antonio, and in 1960 the Portuaria Compania de Chile (EMPORCHI) was given responsibility to administer, operate, and maintain the port. In 1985, an earthquake destroyed much of the harbor infrastructure, andreconstruction began in 1992. Reconstruction was completed in 1997 after investment of $23.5 billion, and the port re-opened for business in 1998. In 2002, Puerto San Antonio reached a new high in cargo-handling when it moved over nine million tons of cargo. In 2003, the National Ministry of Goods reserved 101 hectares of land to the south of the port for the development of the harbor. In 2005, the SouthMolo extension began. In 2006, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean identified Puerto San Antonio as the 8th major port in the region. Port CommerceBy 1995, Puerto San Antonio was Chile’s busiest port, with increasing traffic in containerized cargo. Inner Puerto San Antonio contains four terminals including the Terminal Multioperado which is operated by several companies andadministered by EMPORCHI. Terminal Panul Port specializes in handling imports of solid bulk cargo, and Terminal Vopak specializes in liquid bulk cargoes. Puerto San Antonio covers 495 hectares, including 353 hectares of water and 142 hectares of land. Maximum depth of its waters is 12 meters. Puerto San Antonio has excellent access to roads and rail to Santiago, southern Chile, and Argentina. Itis connected to Santiago by the Freeway of the Sun, a high-speed highway. Chile’s most important port, Puerto San Antonio transferred over 12.6 million tons of cargo in 2007. San Terminal Antonio International (STI) operates the South Molo Terminal which specializes in handling containerized cargo. The terminal employs 200 technical people. STI has 735 meters of continuous wharf with alongsidedepth of 11.3 meters. The terminal contains 31 hectares of paved storage for containerized and bulk cargoes and 11 thousand square meters of warehouses with 800 reefer connections. The terminal offers rail and road access and 24-hour security services. Puerto Panul SA operates the North Terminal dedicated to solid bulk cargoes. In 2006, the terminal handled about 1.8 million tons of cargo, makingPuerto San Antonio the leading port in Chile for solid bulks. The terminal has wharf of 230 meters with alongside depth of 11 meters. While the terminal specializes in solid bulk, it is not limited to that cargo type. It can accommodate vessels up to 60 thousand DWT. The Policarpo Terminal Toro is administered by the Portuaria Compania de San Antonio. It can accommodate vessels up to 190 meters longallowing for 45 thousand tons DWT. It handles bulk cargoes and has transport access to ship, train, and truck. TEM, Terminal Multioperado, is administered by Portuaria Compania de San Antonio. It contains four wharves for handling solid and liquid bulks, containerized cargo, and loose cargo. Twenty companies and 14 shipping agencies use this terminal. It offers over 200 reefer connections for...