YAGHAN

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Ferry refloated and taken to Punta Arenas

The 'Yaghan' was refloated on Sep 30 after hitting the bottom near Paso Labbé when it was returning to Punta Arenas amidst adverse weather conditions. The Transbordadora Austral Broom (Tabsa) team on board, in coordination with the Chilean Navy and an additional ferry provided by the company with special equipment, attended the site a few hours after being informed of what had happened. After lightening the ship, it managed to refloat with the high tideat around 2:25 p.m., It left the site on its own and anchored in a safe place for additional inspections and, later proceeded to Punta Arenas for repairs in the shipyard.

Rescue operation turned into environmental response

The Tabsa company has deployed the ferry “Fueguino” with personnel and equipment to evaluate the grounding of the 'Yaghan', being supervised by the Maritime Authority, after the Chilean Navy completed a 20-hour rescue operation, after the ship ran aground in the Paso Labbé sector, 120 nautical miles from Puerto Natales, on Sep 26. On Sep 27 at 6:00 p.m., the 'LSG 1617-Puerto Natales' arrived at the city's naval dock, transferring the 34 rescued passengers, who were safely delivered to their families. The sihp was one of the naval resources deployed by the Third Naval Zone in the emergency. The 'Puerto Natales' had arrived at the incident scenee at 08:00 a.m. followed by the 'OPV 83-Marinero Fuentealba' at around 10:00 a.m. An aircraft from the South Naval Group flew over the area at 09:00 a.m., transporting specialist personnel to assess the situation. The OPV “Marinero Fuentealba” was used by personnel from the Punta Arenas Harbor Master’s Office, in charge of monitoring the ship to determine possible traces of fuel. An inspector from the Local Ship Inspection Commission was transferred to the “Puerto Natales”, in charge of the first surveys for the investigation of the accident led by the Maritime Prosecutor’s Office. The weather conditions in the area remained adverse, with overcast skies and gusts of wind of up to 50 kilometers per hour. The Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica Maritime Meteorological Center, together with the Bahía Félix and Fairway lighthouses, provided crucial data for the operation. Weak traces of oily mixtures were detected around the ferry, apparently coming from its bilge waters. Specialized personnel and pollution response teams were evaluating the best courses of action in the area, given the weather conditions.

30 passengers evacuated from grounded ferry

The Yaghan Ferry ran aground on Sep 25, 2024, in the Labbe Pass sector, near the Tamar Pass close to Manuel Rodríguez Island, with 42 people - 30 passengers and 12 crew members - on board in adverse weather. The 3rd Naval Zone of the Chilean Navy started an SAR operation. The passengers were rescued with Navy ships, and then transferred to different farming centers in the area. The service boat “Puerto Natales” and the patrol boat “Marinero Fuentealba” with a helicopter from the Aeronaval Group South and a container to combat pollution on board, wree deployed by the Maritime Government of Punta Arenas. The crew remained on the ship, which has been stabilized, to receive the divers who were to carry out repairs so that the route to the city may be resumed. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rb3c6oHjujI