Portuaria Otway Files USD 80 Million Project for Environmental Review in Magallanes

Portuaria Otway, a company linked to the Ultranav shipping group, filed an Environmental Impact Declaration with Chile's Environmental Assessment Service (SEA) to develop the Otway Logistics and Port Project in Punta Lackwater, Río Verde municipality, Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica Region. The initiative involves an investment of USD 80 million and seeks to repurpose the existing infrastructure of the Otway Pier, the former terminal used to ship coal from Mina Invierno.

The project aims to establish and operate a comprehensive logistics-port system for vessel berthing, transshipment, unloading, temporary storage and transport of break-bulk cargo, including oversized cargo and components associated with third-party projects. The proposal is organized into three sectors: the Otway Pier in Punta Lackwater, Riesco Island; the La Rivera Sector, on the mainland bank of the Fitz Roy Channel; and a Logistics Support Zone at the intersection of routes Y-50 and 9N, in Punta Arenas, together totaling approximately 47.51 hectares.

According to the submitted schedule, the construction phase would begin in the second half of 2028. Mundo Marítimo states that operations would start in the second half of 2030 and that the project's closure is projected for 2061, with a total service life of 34 years. Portal Portuario, however, indicates that the construction phase is expected to conclude in the first half of 2030, with 28 months of construction, 30 years of operation and 1 year of closure, within that same 34-year service life. Mas Container, citing information from CNN Chile, La Tercera and La Prensa Austral, states that operations would begin in the first quarter of 2030 and that the projected service life reaches 30 years.

The project's location is justified by its alignment with regional energy planning, particularly the Magallanes Regional Energy Plan (PEER Magallanes), which identifies logistics and port infrastructure as an enabling condition for the development of the green hydrogen industry. In addition to Portuaria Otway, entities such as Empresa Nacional del Petróleo and Empresa Portuaria Austral are involved in the regional governance of the energy transition. Mas Container adds that the pier would aim to receive wind turbines, tanks and large structures linked to green hydrogen, ammonia and synthetic fuel projects, with a logistics scheme that includes transferring cargo to barges bound for a ramp at La Rivera and its subsequent transport by special trucks over approximately 25 kilometers to Route Y-50.

The infrastructure to be repurposed was part of the Isla Riesco Port Project, which received a favorable environmental rating through Exempt Resolution No. 291/2009 and operated for the storage, processing and loading of coal until Mina Invierno ceased operations in 2020. That company was equally owned by Empresas Copec and Inversiones Ultraterra, linked to the Von Appen family, until Copec sold its stake to its former partner between 2021 and 2022. Despite repurposing these facilities, the executive summary of the Environmental Impact Declaration classifies the new project as a distinct initiative rather than a modification of the previous one.

The environmental analysis submitted by Portuaria Otway rules out significant adverse effects on public health, natural resources, human communities, protected areas and cultural heritage, and does not include an Environmental Variables Monitoring Plan. Until December 15, 2026, a request may be filed with the SEA to open a public participation process. Among the points to be reviewed is the planned intervention on approximately 19.5 hectares of native ñirre forest for the construction of access roads and logistics areas in the mainland sector, according to Mas Container.