The exhibition and congress of the maritime-port industry, Trans-Port, which will be held between August 31 and September 2, 2021, was launched at the Port of San Antonio with the presence of high authorities of the commune. The sector fair for Latin America to be held in Santiago, Chile, aims to contribute to the development of the economy by bringing together entrepreneurs, suppliers, Chilean and Latin American authorities in an instance where knowledge, experiences and technologies will be exchanged. The launching ceremony was attended by Cristián Ovalle, Mayor (S) of San Antonio; Jorge Imhoff, Director of Maritime Interests and Aquatic Environment of the Navy: Franco Brzovic, president of the board of directors of Puerto San Antonio; Luis Knaak, general manager of Puerto San Antonio; Francisco Sotomayor, general manager of Fisa of the GL events Group; Katherine Becker, manager of Trans- Port; Rodrigo Lobo institutional affairs manager of GL events Group; Matías Laso, general manager of DP World San Antonio among other personalities of the region. Manager Katherine Becker noted that the exhibition “will bring together more than 50 exhibiting companies from 15 countries and aims to attract around 1,500 visitors. She also stressed that the contents of the International Congress “Digitalization and sustainability: The challenges of the maritime-port industry” are already being prepared. In this context, Trans-Port’s manager said that “we have decided to hold this launch in Puerto San Antonio, our main sponsor, but it also takes on special relevance after the president of the board of EPSA, Franco Brzovic, accepted to be the new chairman of the International Congress Trans-Port 2021”. This appointment seeks to contribute to establish an appropriate framework to highlight the importance and progress of the industry in Latin America, and in turn, create strong ties of collaboration and networking between the region’s port communities. As part of the launch, Puerto San Antonio Board President, Franco Brzovic said that Trans-Port 2021 “attracts thousands of people and exposes shipping companies, ship manufacturers, product manufacturers and everything related to maritime matters. It is a window for the whole world of this sector and San Antonio, as the main port of Chile, has to be present because we are with an important project which is to increase the capacity of cargo transfer and thinking that in 2030 we must have the Outer Port working”. Regarding his appointment as chairman of the event, the president of the port company explained that “my main function is to represent this congress in front the different authorities, whether national or international, and to provide the necessary support”. Luis Knaak, Puerto San Antonio’s general manager, said that “this international event allows the exchange of exhibitions, technologies and information. It is a meeting point that will allow us to socialize a project as important as Outer Port. We decided to be one of the main sponsors of Trans-Port 2021 because we are assuming our role as the main port of the country, and also considering the tremendous challenge that our project implies”. At the launch, Fisa’s general manager, Francisco Sotomayor, emphasized and thanked “Puerto San Antonio for its unconditional support. We are convinced that a sector such as the maritime port is not only important for the national economy, but also for the employability and social impact it generates. Therefore, it deserves its event and its space for discussion where all the authorities, suppliers and investors are present, with the aim of positioning Chile in Latin America for everything related to maritime port trade”. The director of Maritime Interests and Aquatic Environment of the Navy, Rear Admiral Jorge Imhoff, said that “we believe that this alliance that is being created between Puerto San Antonio and FISA is fundamental for the success of this event. What is happening in San Antonio is very important because it is concentrating a large part of our imports and exports. The experience that is being achieved here is shared in this international conference. We believe that this alliance that was signed is key”. The deputy mayor of San Antonio, Christian Ovalle, described Trans-Port 2021 as “an important milestone where there is a binding work with different authorities, and an effort is made in times of pandemic, to be in the national and international context. Also because of what was commented by the president of the Board of Puerto San Antonio, who noted the importance on the development of this city-port and clearly the concern of us as a city is that things can be done with concern for the city and its inhabitants”. For his part, Matias Laso, general manager of DP World San Antonio, said that “this is a tremendous industry event that unfortunately could not be held in 2020 due to the pandemic. There will be very interesting things, the topic of pilotage, technology, 5G and other elements that have much to do with our work in relation to ships, vessels and ports, and we are very interested in what will be approached in the activity”.
