Strait of Magellan, maritime traffic grows by 70%

Maritime traffic in the Strait of Magellan recorded an increase of more than 70% between August and September 2026 compared to the same period of the previous year, according to statistics from the Port Authority of Punta Arenas, dependent on the Chilean Navy. The peak, which mainly affected ships between 60,000 and 65,000 tons, is due to the decision of many shipowners to avoid the Panama Canal, where the local authority has imposed operational restrictions due of drought linked to El Niño.

“Climatic conditions in Central America were the determining factor in the alteration of itineraries,” explained Kenneth Loh, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. The expert underlined that the crisis has forced naval operators to incur extraordinary costs in transit auctions in order to avoid long waits. To get around the inconveniences, the boats chose the southern route, despite facing longer distances and higher fuel consumption.

In addition to the climate, the routes were changed by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and heavy snowfall in the Andes, which slowed land transport between Chile and Argentina. The maritime authority estimates that the high flows will continue in the coming months.