Marine environment, technology, and maritime safety were the topics targeted by the First International Congress on Maritime Transport: Emergencies in the maritime environment in bodies of water, organized by the Maritime Transport University Technician career, with the participation of foreign specialists.

Colonel (BM) Ángel José Fernández Rivera, a lawyer specializing in Maritime Law and a specialist in Integrated Quality, Environmental, and Occupational Risk Management, began the presentations by addressing the topic of the origin and causes of oil spills and other substances.

He detailed the causes of the problem in terms of oil operations related to human failures and natural phenomena. “In the transfer of crude oil, operational failures can occur in the handling of drills, in piping systems, hose couplings, pressure, and bursts, among others. Even in several stages of the process, the causes of leaks are due to boreholes, also due to collisions of ships, overflows, and natural events. The important thing is to have this background, to avoid sources of contamination to the marine environment, and to preserve areas of biological, social, economic, and national importance for the country. So that there is harmony between fauna and flora, for the survival of species and to preserve the environment for the future”, said the colonel.

The speaker indicated that 33 percent of spills are caused by the vessels’ own operations. “With an adequate and timely initial response to an incident involving crude oil and its derivatives, its effects can be minimized. In Puerto Montt, actions should be coordinated between the industries and the State to prevent spills in sensitive areas”, commented the specialist.

Valeria Gallardo, director of Technical Training at the Puerto Montt Campus, emphasized the importance of strengthening technical training in everything related to the maritime area, in the training given to students who will work in the southern seas. “We know, thanks to our permanent link with the Armasur union, that the Los Lagos Region handles 90 percent of the cabotage in the southern part of Chile. Therefore, all the professionalization that we can offer to young people, so that they can enter the maritime area, with updated professional competencies and skills, is relevant to us as an institution. Consequently, we are grateful for the initiative taken by the career and its speakers”, emphasized the director.