Chilean Navy commissions icebreaker as race for Antarctica heats up
The Chilean icebreaker Almirante Viel was built by state-run shipyard ASMAR. (Photo: Chilean Navy)
The commissioning of the domestically manufactured icebreaker Almirante Viel marks the latest addition to a series of new ships acquired by South American navies to enhance their presence in Antarctic waters.
The Chilean Navy commissioned the domestically manufactured icebreaker Almirante Viel earlier this month as the vessel became the latest of a fleet of new ships South American navies have been acquiring to maintain a physical presence across Antarctic waters.
According to the Chilean Ministry of National Defense, the new icebreaker Almirante Viel was “the first vessel of its type built in South America” and was “fully constructed” by the Chilean state-run shipyard ASMAR.
The icebreaker, the tugboat vessel Lientur(ATF-60) and the patrol vessel Marinero Fuentealba (OPV-83) will constitute the Chilean Navy’s “Antarctic trinomial” for future Antarctic operations, according to Santiago. With
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