MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Patagonian fiords cruise season launched in Punta Arenas

Mare Australis, one of the two cruise vessels from Cruceros Australis

Chile’s Cruceros Australis and Comapa tourist agency officially launched last Friday the 2009/2010 Patagonian fiords cruise season in a ceremony held in Punta Arenas, reports La Prensa Austral.

“Mare Australis” docked in the Arturo Prat jetty hosted the launching to which local authorities and tourist industry representatives were invited.

Crucerso Australis has two vessels for its cruises in the extreme south of Chile and Argentina, “Mare Australis” and “Via Australis” which can transport 135 passengers and a crew of 45 each.

At the end of the coming Chilean bicentennial (2010), a third vessel will be incorporated currently under construction in Chilean shipyards, with a capacity for 210 passengers and 60 crew members.

Juan Carlos Varela, CEO of Comapa and Cruceros Australis made the official presentation of this season which includes 60 cruises in the Patagonian fiords of Chile and Argentina.

Comapa stands for Compañía Marítima de la Patagonia and was originally Braun & Blanchard launched at the end of the XIXth century in Punta Arenas. It is also a member of NISA a Chilean conglomerate of tourism, maritime and transport companies which operates different services in the whole of the Chilean territory.

Comapa has offices in Punta Arenas and Natales in Chile and Ushuaia and El Calafate in Argentina.