ATI submits Antofagasta port investment plan

Antofagasta Terminal Internacional (ATI), which operates a berth at Chile's Region II port Antofagasta, submitted an investment plan Friday, a spokesperson from state port company Empresa Portuaria Antofagasta (EPA) told BNamericas. Made up of Sudamericana de Agencias Aereas y Maritimas (SAAM) and Inmobiliaria Sudamericana, ATI submitted the winning bid in January to operate berth 2 (sites 3-7) for 20 years and began operating at the port in March. The investment of some US$18mn will go towards modernization works, including seismic reinforcement and extending the pier farther out to sea to allow larger vessels to dock, as well as the construction of a mineral concentrates facility, said the official. EPA moved 743,636t between January and September, a 70% decrease from the same period last year, attributing the fall to the entry of ATI that moved 1.57Mt in the first nine months. Last year, the port moved a record 3.26Mt, up 7.2% from 2001. Antofagasta port focuses on mineral shipments, and along with neighboring ports Mejillones and Tocopilla, makes the region a major port zone and increases northern Chile's access to Argentina and Brazil via the Tropic of Capricorn bi-oceanic corridor.