Red Tide Outbreak Widens in Threat to Fishing Industry
A "red tide" outbreak is widening in southern Chile's fishing-rich waters, the government said on Wednesday, deepening what is already believed to be one of the country's worst environmental crises in recent years. The red tide - an algal bloom that turns the sea water red and makes seafood toxic - is a common, naturally recurring phenomenon in southern Chile, but the extent of the current outbreak is unprecedented. The southern region of Los Lagos has been affected in recent weeks by the largest red tide in its history, prompting fishermen deprived of their livelihoods to angrily demand more support from the government. Now there are signs that Los Rios, the neighboring region to the north, has also been affected, local officials warn.
Chile Exporters Fret as Customs Strike Continues
A customs strike in Chile that began last week has started to affect exports and imports, although miners in the top copper producer said this week they have not yet been significantly impacted. The strike by customs officials, who say they want the government to approximately double their workforce, began on May 20, and the union says it will continue indefinitely until an agreement is reached. It rejected a government proposal for a smaller increase in the workforce at the weekend. "We have had dialogue but it has been tense ... what we want is a signal that this will be resolved in the short term but that hasn't arrived," Jorge Thibaut, secretary general of the national association of customs workers (ANFACH) said to journalists on Wednesday.
Chile to Import US Shale Gas
Chile's state oil company ENAP has signed long-term deal with British Gas to import shale gas from the United States at the end of next year, local media reported. Shipments will leave from a U.S. port, Chilean Energy Minister Maximo Pacheco was quoted as saying on Monday in newspaper La Tercera's Tuesday edition. "Among the first gas shipments to leave from that port will be gas destined for Chile," Pacheco said. The deal's volumes and prices were not revealed. A press officer at the Energy Minister confirmed the information but did not give further details.
Chile Miner to Reopen Patache Port after Quake
Chilean copper miner Collahuasi said on Tuesday that it has received authorization to reactivate its Patache port in the country's north following a massive 8.2 magnitude earthquake and tsunami last week. "We just received authorization and a ship has already entered the port to load," Chief Executive Officer Jorge Gomez told Reuters on the sidelines of the CESCO/CRU copper conference in capital city Santiago. Gomez said the impact from the April 1 quake is "minor". (Reporting by Fabian Cambero; Writing by Anthony Esposito; Editing by Chris Reese)
