MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

The majestic Norwegian tall ship marked the end of Ushuaia's cruise season

With the departure on Monday of the Norwegian flagged three-mast tall ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl, Ushuaia, extreme south of Argentina, considered the “successful” 2021/22 cruise season over. According to local port authorities from the province of Tierra del Fuego, Ushuaia received more than 200 calls and some 60,000 visitors, since the arrival last 7 November of NatGeo Endurance, and was the only Latin American port that did not interrupt its summer activities.

Of the 60,000 visitors, some 9,000 arrived by air to Ushuaia international airport Malvinas Argentinas in 88 charter and scheduled commercial flights.

Roberto Murcia head of Tierra del Fuego ports authority said that “we've had an excellent tourist season, since the arrival of cruise vessels in the previous season was nil because of the pandemic. However in a combined effort with the different offices and departments, we managed to agree on sanitary measures and protocols, opening the way for the cruise season, a much needed boost for the local economy, plus the expectations for the next season”.

In effect Murcia said that prospects for the 2022/23 season are even better with some 480 programmed calls including, tourism, scientific, fisheries and container activities. “If this is accomplished we will have definitively left behind the recession caused by the pandemic, and positioning Ushuaia as the main access to Antarctic tourism, and as a logistics hub for cargo and fisheries”.

Finally Murcia underlined the expansion of the Ushuaia port infrastructure, “we are enlarging the main commercial pier, a long awaited development, and in coming days we will be calling the tender for a catamarans and other pleasure vessels terminal. Likewise with the Public Works ministry we are working on a project for a new cargo and logistics port including fiscal and customs deposits”