In the southernmost part of Patagonia, where the transport that goes from the continental province of Santa Cruz to the island of Tierra Fuego must cross the Strait of Magellan, which is Chilean, a conflict exploded that endangers the supply of the inhabitants and the factories of appliances located there.
The conflict is another symptom of the serious economic and financial crisis that Argentina is going through, which lacks dollars to pay for imports and services.
On Thursday, the company Transbordadora Austral Broom S.A. (TABSA) issued a press release obtained by Clarín, which informs that as of Friday, June 16, they will no longer accept Argentine pesos in the payments of the ferry thatcrosses the Strait of Magellan back and forth.
New conditions
From now on, they reported they will accept Chilean pesos, dollars, debit and credit cards (also authorized to spend) for cars as cargo vehicles. Among other reasons, the TABSA businessmen argue that the Central Bank does not deliver the dollars to the companies to pay the freight, which is an international service and that for that reason they have not been paid for two months. They owe them $2 million, they say in the sector.
The road usually used by trucks with merchandise and residents to cross the Strait of Magellan towards Tierra del Fuego. Google Photo
As can be seen in the photo published by this newspaper, this maritime passage is the only way, with the exception of the air, by which the Argentine mainland communicates with the Fuegian island territory.
"As a company we have been deeply affected financially, because our customers have not been able to make payments for the services we provide in the Strait of Magellan," said Cristóbal Kulczewski Larrainm, General Manager of TAMSA.
"This situation has forced us to take the measure we have expressed in the statement. However, we are always available to find solutions and give continuity to the service, "he said.
Complications with using the weights
Alejandro Almonacid, Operations Manager of TABSA, also spoke, who alleged strong difficulties in crediting the funds paid by the Argentines, of rates that are established in the trans-Andean country, first in Chilean pesos, and then its value is equivalent to the dollar of the day. The difference is that the Chilean economy does not present the picture of devaluation, inflation and lack of reserves that Argentina has.
The unprecedented situation has its political side. Fuegian Senator Pablo Blanco, until recently a gubernatorial candidate with Together for Change, first charged against the company.
"Worrying, repudiable and unacceptable commercial attitude of the Chilean company TABSA that decided not to accept more Argentine pesos to cross the Strait of Magellan with its barges from 16/6.". Then he complained about what could happen. "They only accept dollars, Chilean pesos or international cards. This does nothing more than ratify that the Argentine pesos are increasingly useful for less and that the land connection between the island of Tierra del Fuego and the continent for Argentines is practically closed."
And finally he spoke to the government. "Our Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Economy must intervene immediately to find an urgent solution to this problem that seriously affects all Fueguinos threatening to suffocate my province commercially, touristically and humanitarianly,"
Although the Government is responsible for the critical situation in which this crossing with barges is located – the entire shipping system has disrupted the payment system due to the Argentine crisis – by the directives that it must address to the Central Bank of the Argentine Republic, the fueguino government of Gustavo Melella, a radical ally of Kirchnerism, He remains silent about the unusual conflict affecting his province.
As this newspaper learned, in Chile Chilean banks receive Argentine pesos. To be able to change the pesos that the companies give them for the trip, TABSA -which operates with fifty Argentine companies, they must go to exchange houses in Punta Arenas, for example. And there are more and more that restrict the reception of Argentine pesos. At the time they received Argentine pesos at the value of the blue dollar, but nobody wants the Argentine currency anymore because it is worth less and less.
Although they argue that they have been in trouble for almost a year, the paralysis in the transfer of dollars so that companies pay TABSA for the crossing worsened three months ago. And two directly do not pay him.
When the Ministry of Economy informed in the framework of the trip of Minister Sergio Massa to China that the currency swap was being extended, the companies of Tierra del Fuego came out to say that they were paying or will pay with yuan for their imports.
For example, the largest companies in Tierra del Fuego, Newsan and Mirgor announced that they were "voluntarily" operating in yuan, despite having approved the transfer of dollars. It was a gesture to the government, but the Chilean ferries are out of this game.
