This is the icebreaker Almirante Viel, the first built in Chile and South America.

This Wednesday, July 3, the delivery ceremony of the the icebreaker AGB-46 “Almirante Viel”, a unit presented as the first of this type built in Chile and in all of South America .

It is a ship in charge of the Navy which It has the capacity to carry 120 people (86 crew members and 34 scientists) .

The icebreaker will replace the old AP-46 (also called “Almirante Viel”) built in 1969 which was in service for 24 years until February 2019.

One of the most remarkable features of the new specimen is that It reaches a maximum speed of 15 knots (nearly 30 km/h) and 3 knots on 1 meter of ice. (about 6 km/h) .

In the same way, It has laboratories, acoustic sensors, sample collection and storage elements, and can carry two HH-32 helicopters. in his shed.

Added to this is that can operate at -30°C and sail up to 650 km further south than the previous icebreaker .

Your abilities will allow you sailing in arctic waters all year round .

To carry out the project, the work of 334 collaborators (national and foreign) was necessary and 3,300,000 man-hours were invested .

From ASMAR, they specify that directly contributed to 600 jobs and that a period of 22 months was necessary for the design.

The range of the icebreaker “Almirante Viel” is 14,000 nautical miles, while its autonomy is 60 days .

These are just some of the features the ship has, which will be part of the so-called “Antarctic trinomial” with the patrol boat Marinero Fuentealba and the tug Lientur.

The Director General of Navy Services, Vice Admiral Leonardo Chavez, told La Tercera that “the main achievement here is that Not only did ASMAR build the ship, but many stakeholders came together : the Academy, people from industry, SMEs and many more.

“In fact, of the total cost, which represented an approximate investment of more than 200 million dollars, 56% of the resources invested remained here in Chile “, specifies the military authority.

At the same time, he adds that “the country participated in a transversal manner” and that it was a project that was worked on by several governments based on the decree initially signed by former President Michelle Bachelet.

“All this allowed the ship to leave on Wednesday, on a very important date because, as an institution, we celebrate Naval Engineering Day and the anniversary of the Cabin Boy School, where we train the people who, finally, They are the ones who will pilot and operate all the technological systems integrated into this ship today. “.

Vice Admiral Chavez explains that The new icebreaker will allow us to reach previously inaccessible places in Antarctica .

Such difficulties occurred even in summer, due to factors such as ice thickness and the technical characteristics of previous ships.

“This is the first major function he will perform. The other thing is the capacity he must be able to take charge of more than 30 scientists (…) They will be able to be 100% dedicated to studying. We must not forget that every minute spent in Antarctica is used by them to obtain data and take samples. (…) Often we get this, but we can’t use it. Now they do it from inside the ship.

As detailed, its large load capacity and ability to travel to different national bases as well will be essential in terms of logistics .

Moreover, this will be essential because of “the presence and durability of exercise effective sovereignty over the Chilean Antarctic territory “.

“We will be able to have a permanent presence (…) And their capabilities will also contribute to everything that involves the safeguarding of human life at sea.” With the increase in tourist and commercial activity in Antarctica, It is important to have a vessel with the capacity to carry out rescue tasks and to supervise the smooth running of operations in the area. . As President Gabriel Boric said, may it be a continent of science and peace.”

In this sense, the Director General of Marine Services decides that “We will work with this ship, cooperating not only at the national level, but also at the international level.” .