MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Breaking News from Pta. Arenas.

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Cruise “Antarctic Dream”, ready to sail; Surge in Punta Arenas unemployment; Magallanes records major increase in “social” crime.

Cruise "Antarctic Dream", ready to sail

Next August 11 the former Chilean Navy Piloto Pardo, now refurbished as a cruise vessel under the name "Antarctic Dream" will be arriving in Punta Arenas. It will be the first Chilean flagged cruise to call in Antarctica and southern Chile islands.

The twelve million US dollars enterprise is funded by several Chilean businessmen related to the tourism industry and a well known Chilean animator of the Miami network, very popular among the Latin population in south United States. "Antarctic Dream" has capacity for 84 passengers capacity in double cabins or suites, all the amusements common in cruise vessels, gymnasium, pool, cinema, sauna, library, plus all the modern satellite communication system. She also carries a helicopter. With a crew of forty, it's scheduled to leave Punta Arenas for its first Antarctic cruise November 26, with the fifteen day trip costing between five and twelve thousand US dollars. Besides travelling to Antarctica until the end of February "Antarctic Dream" will also be involved in shorter one week cruises, Patagonia North and Patagonia South. During the Antarctic cruise, travellers will be allowed down in three locations besides enjoying helicopter over flights in other areas.

Surge in Punta Arenas unemployment

Unemployment surged again in Magallanes Region jumping from 5,5% in the March-May quarter to 6,1% in the April-June quarter. Punta Arenas concentrates most unemployed with a 6,2% rate and 3,180 people looking for jobs.

However according to the regional Chilean Statistics Office chief Jose Gabriel Parada the long term trend in the region is of employment recovery, besides the fact that Magallanes and Region XI have the lowest unemployment rates 6,1% in Chile compared to the 8,7% national average. Mr. Parada said that considering the same period, unemployment in 1997 was 4,2%, followed by the critical 1999 with 7,8%; 2000, 7%; 2001, 6,9%; 2002, 7,3%; 2003, 7,3%; 2004, 6,6% and 6,1% this year. The regional labour force is estimated in 66,920 (April-June) with a 1,9% drop compared to a year ago and a 2,3% increase over the previous quarter. Actually 62.860 are employed and 4,060 unemployed. As to the performance of the different sectors, social, community and personal services actually experienced an increase in employment; so did financial services and agriculture, hunting and fishing. But there was a big contraction in mining and quarries, retail and manufacturing. As in previous quarters the number of "self employed" keeps increasing. Regarding women, unemployment reached 7,4%, representing 38% of the total people out of a job or looking for work for the first time.

Magallanes records major increase in "social" crime

Magallanes in the extreme south of Chile registered the strongest surge in social crimes claims during the second quarter of this year, according to the latest report from the country's Ministry of Interior.

Compared to the same period a year ago the number of claims filed increased 15,7% which means a jump from 465,8 to 538,75 for every 100,000 inhabitants. Of the 827 claims filed in the second quarter, 644 correspond to Punta Arenas, 96 to Natales and 28 to Porvenir. As to the type of crimes, 272 were thefts; 256 common assault; 231 theft with assault; 42 theft with violence; 14 theft with intimidation; 7 rapes and one homicide. Punta Arenas is also among Chile's twenty main communities with the largest number of domestic violence filed claims, 325. The latest statistics have been described by local authorities and the press as "surprising", since the latest Interior Ministry report indicates that for the first time since 1997 the number of "social" crimes in Chile actually contracted 4,6%.