Users of subsidized maritime transport lived in minutes of fear in Bahía Mansa, due to a mechanical failure in the boat. The maritime authority suspended her permission to set sail, until she solves her problems.
Users of subsidized maritime transport with a route from Caleta Cóndor to Bahía Mansa in the commune of San Juan de la Costa, in the Los Lagos region, denounce that they were on the verge of shipwreck due to a malfunction in the boat’s engineswhich they attribute to lack of maintenance.
Mirta Naipan, who lives in the coastal town of the Río Negro commune and who had to go to Bahía Mansa using the navigation service, said that in the middle of the trip ship’s main engine failed and the auxiliary equipment did not work, living distressing moments, he accused.
“Nearly, and we were shipwrecked (…) captain, driver and crew did their best to get the other engine working, but we were still there for about half an hour, but it was still very risky and dangerous,” Naipan emphasized.
Rubén Pailapichun, leader of the Chaihuaco Indigenous community of Caleta Cóndor, joined the complaint given the risk they faced.
“It happened that we stayed twice in panne, and the second time we stayed in panne we were very close to the rocks, with the danger of shipwreck. At first glance, we see that this boat has no maintenance, the maintenance is very scarce”, said Rubén.
The users of the vessel identified “Inversiones Oceánica” as the concessionaire of the maritime transport service. Radio Bío Bío de Osorno tried to contact the company, however, as of the closing of this article, this has not yet been achieved.
By having direct interference, the Transport Seremi, Pablo Joost, said that they are collecting the background to address the complaint.
“So that we can take administrative actions regarding the quality of the service. It should be noted that it is the maritime authority that has the power to supervise and sanction everything related to the maritime operation,” added the SEREMI.
From the maritime authority, through the captaincy of the Port of Maullín, Lieutenant Commander Ricardo Cartes, indicated that the vessel had permission to set sail, which was reversed in the last few hours due to the complaint.
“To date, the fault of the vessel, its navigability was in force, and at the moment it is suspended until the fault is resolved and the inspection is passed again,” said Cartes.
The trip from Caleta Cóndor to Bahía Mansa averages 2 hours and depending on the emergency it was extended to 5 hours. The users of the service asked for greater concern at the time of inspection to guarantee safety at sea, after experiencing an episode that could end in serious consequences.