MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Tierra del Fuego fears the significance of Falkland Islands new port

Andres Dachary said that Falklands/Malvinas and its surrounding maritime spaces are an integral part of Tierra del Fuego, and as such subject to provincial and Argentine national legislation.

The province of Tierra del Fuego, on Tuesday, denounced UK's construction company BAM Nuttall for operating with no authorization in the Falkland/Malvinas Islands district, currently under British control but over which Argentine claims sovereignty.

The complete name of the extreme south Argentine province is Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and South Atlantic Islands, which naturally includes the Falklands.

The release states that the provincial government pointed out that BAM Nuttall, belonging to the Royal Bam group, was contracted by the “illegitimate” government of the Islands to design and build a new port in the Falklands, an undertaking that does not have the “due intervention” from the Tierra del Fuego Production and Environment ministry.

The release goes on to say that with the project, UK which occupies the Islands in the south Atlantic since 1833, pretends to transform the Falklands/Malvinas port in a logistic support center with the purpose of exploiting the natural resources of the Islands, which depend on tourism, fisheries and off shore hydrocarbons.

The complaint against BAM Nuttall was done by the provincial secretariat of Malvinas, Antarctica, South Atlantic Islands and International Affairs from the Tierra del Fuego Environment ministry, which is responsible of making effective the preservation of the environment in the province.

The provincial secretary of that office, Andres Dachary said that the Falklands/Malvinas and its surrounding maritime spaces are an integral part of Tierra del Fuego, and as such subject to provincial and Argentine national legislation.

“The fact that they are momentarily 'invaded' by the UK in no way impedes that we may take actions against those who do not abide by the law”, insists Dachary.

Following on the complaint the provincial Environment Secretary will send a notification to BAM Nuttall officially warning the company to comply with the law.

“As of this moment the company will have a peremptory time to respond and according to what happens, the law is clear and opens a raft of legal actions”, warned Sonia Castiglione, Production and Environment minister from Tierra del Fuego.

Finally we must add that next September and November Argentina is holding primary and midterm elections, and thus arousing the nationalist vein comes in handy. But as happened with the oil and fishing industries, no consequences are expected, unless those companies could have interests or assets in Argentina.