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Planned route from Punta Arenas to Port Stanley continued to fuel tensions
The plan to use the 'Danstar' to transport food and supplies from Punta Arenas to Port Stanley continued to fuel tensions between Chile and Argentina. The Argentine authorities were considering detaining, escorting, and fining the ship, operated by Naviera Easter Island. The voyage through the Strait of Magellan covers approximately 900 kilometers and was estimated to take two and a half days. The cargo planned for the route included fruit, dairy products, timber, cement, liquefied gas, and heavy machinery. The ship was scheduled to begin operations by the end of 2026. On Oct 29 it departed from Valparaíso to Magallanes for a refurbishment at the ASMAR yard. The controversy was also linked to the Sea Lion hydrocarbon exploration project, located in the northern basin of the islands, whose sovereignty was disputed by Argentina and the United Kingdom. In Buenos Aires, there was concern that this route could contribute to supplying the energy project. A potential interception of the Danstar has become a priority for Argentine authorities. However, Buenos Aires has not yet defined the legal strategy or tactics that would justify such an operation. A joint declaration signed by Presidents Javier Milei and José Antonio Kast in Santiago, Chile, in September would not constitute a formal legal basis for preventing the Chilean vessel's commercial navigation. The possibility of intervention by the Argentine Naval Prefecture also raised questions about a potential Chilean response. The possibility of the Chilean Navy escorting the 'Danstar' with a military unit to safeguard commercial navigation has not been ruled out, although no operational decision in this regard has been confirmed. The most recent precedent was the interception of the tug 'Beagle', owned by the Chilean company Ultramar, by the Coast Guard vessel GC-28 Prefecto Derbes in April 2024. The vessel was towing the Taiwanese fishing vessel 'An Fong No. 136' from the Falkland Islands to Montevideo. The action took place 245 nautical miles from Comodoro Rivadavia, in international waters, and prompted a complaint from Chile. Other precedents include the $690,000 fine imposed in 2016 on the f/v 'Unión Sur', owned by the company Emdepes, for operating in disputed waters, and the 2006 detention of the British-flagged vessel 'John Cheek', with a Chilean crew, which was escorted to Comodoro Rivadavia. While Argentina allowed regular trade between the Falkland Islands and Uruguay, despite this being twice the distance from Punta Arenas, it focused its pressure tactics on Chilean vessels.
Alert over a Chilean ship seeking to supply the Falkland Islands: Chilean intelligence warns of an imminent critical event
The 'Danstar' plans to set sail from Punta Arenas for the Falkland Islands in mid-November. The ship, actually anchored in Valparíso in pos. 33° 02' N 071° 37' W, was intending to cross the Strait of Magellan and enter directly into Argentina's 12-mile territorial waters. The Drake Passage, where the Humboldt Current from the Pacific meets the South Atlantic, is a complex voyage for ships and not profitable, so choosing the Strait meant passing through the jurisdiction of the Argentine Navy was mandatory, which could unleash the fury of the government. The objective is to supply the Falkland Islands and recapture a multi-million dollar market instead of Uruguay as the archipelago's main supplier, and sell the islanders everything from milk, eggs, and butter to backhoes and construction materials. The Chilean Armed Forces have categorised the departure as a potentially high-risk "critical event" along the border. Regular voyages were suspended in 2012, after Cristina Kirchner and Sebastián Piñera agreed to halt them following a series of Argentine fines and interceptions. At that time, the ships transiting flew the flags of the Falkland Islands or British shipping companies. To prevent the matter from escalating into a military incident, intelligence analysts have set the terms for their own Foreign Ministry. The official position being prepared in Santiago was to defend the right to free trade and international navigation, attempting to confine the issue to the private sphere and distance the State from it.
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