Lawmakers and officials in Magallanes called on José Antonio Kast's government to pursue diplomatic efforts with Argentina, according to Emol. They seek to prevent a possible "bilateral incident" during the Chilean merchant ship Danstar's first voyage between Punta Arenas and the Falkland/Malvinas Islands.
According to the outlet, departure is expected in November. The Danstar belongs to the shipping company Easter Island, sails under the Chilean flag and can carry around 1,400 tonnes of cargo to Port Stanley, the archipelago's capital.
The route restores a maritime connection that operated until 2011. It was agreed by the Falkland Islands Development Corporation (FIDC, its English acronym) and the Municipality of Punta Arenas. The islands are under British administration, and Argentina has claimed sovereignty over them for almost two centuries, a dispute that led to the 1982 war.
The alarm arose in Buenos Aires. Fernando Morales, president of the Argentine Naval League, addressed committees of his country's Chamber of Deputies, which are discussing the National Sovereignty Bill promoted by President Javier Milei. There, he suggested that the ship could be detained if authorities consider its voyage "non-innocent passage".
Morales invoked Article 19 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). He also requested a review of Article 70 of the bill, which defines a "vessel of interest" as one that requires monitoring or control because of its route, flag or activity. He described it as "a very powerful, very complicated weapon".
Concern grew in the region after Radio Bío Bío revealed that Chilean intelligence reports described the Danstar's first voyage as a potential "critical event".
Magallanes Governor Jorge Flies asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to use "diplomacy" with Milei's government. He warned that intervention by the Argentine Naval Prefecture, the country's maritime police, would only strain relations "over something that is commercial".
Senator Alejandro Kusanovic (independent) requested a joint, closed session of the Senate's National Defense and Foreign Affairs committees. He recalled that Magallanes maintains commercial, family and transport links with Argentine Patagonia.
Deputy Alejandro Riquelme (Republican Party) said he had already warned of the risks in an official letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on October 2. He maintained that free passage through the Strait of Magellan is an international obligation enshrined in the 1881 treaty and the 1984 Treaty of Peace and Friendship. In his view, Argentina "has no authority" to detain a Chilean ship for trading with the islands.
The episode comes amid recent tensions between Santiago and Buenos Aires. Military commanders and some Argentine officials questioned Chilean sovereignty over the strait, an issue those treaties had already settled.
For now, the executive branch is keeping its distance. On Sunday, on TVN's Estado Nacional, Minister of Economy and Mining Daniel Mas said the government views that trade "favorably". He added that its role concerns sovereignty and setting clear rules, and that "it is a business between private parties". The first voyage is scheduled for November.
