With the laying of the first stone by national and regional authorities, the construction of the replacement works for the new building for the Regional Customs Office of Talcahuano (center) began. It will be located on Colón Street in the city, on land acquired by Customs in 2015 and where units of the Inspection area operated until a few days ago.
The project, which is part of the “Step by Step, Chile recovers” program, includes the construction of 1.487 m2 on a total surface area of 2.500 m2.
The laying of the first stone was attended by the National Director of Customs, José Ignacio Palma, the Regional Presidential Delegate of Biobío, Patricio Kuhn, the Regional Ministerial Secretary of Public Works, Víctor Reinoso, the Regional Director of the Talcahuano Customs, Claudio Cid, in addition to local authorities.
El National Director of Customs, José Ignacio Palma, He indicated that this is a long-awaited project, given that the old facilities of this Customs Office, located on the coast, were completely destroyed by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in 2010. "The realization of all the wishes of this group of almost 100 Customs officials today begins to see one of its fruits with the installation of the first stone of the new institutional Customs building in Talcahuano, a very important milestone for our institution and for the southern macro zone."
He added that this project is part of the Five-Year Infrastructure Plan included in the 2019-2024 Strategic Planning of the National Customs Service, which is part of the modernization and professionalization of the Service in various aspects of its work, and which includes other relevant works such as the construction of the institutional building of the Puerto Aysén Customs Administration and the new facilities of the Quillagua Customs Outpost, in the Tarapacá Region.
El Presidential Delegate of the Biobío Region, Patricio Kuhn, noted that "this is indeed the first stone of what will be the new building of the Talcahuano Customs and at the same time it is also the Customs of the Southern Macrozone which is the gateway to and from our regions of the entire macrozone to the world.
It is extremely important that after what happened in 2010 when the earthquake destroyed the building we had here, today we finally have the first stone laid for this building, which will be sustainable and will allow all the Talcahuano Customs officials to work together in a single location.
We are pleased because the Architecture Division of the Ministry of Public Works has allowed the financing of this work, which has had its RS since 2019, and this assures us of the future of this service that is so important for our region and for our country."
Meanwhile, Seremi of Public Works of the Biobío Region, Victor Reinoso He indicated that “we are very pleased to be able to contribute to improving the working conditions of Customs. With this, we want the Biobío region to be the great gateway for Chile to the world, and for the world to Chile. That is, to strengthen connectivity and quality of life, both in the productive and urban areas, which can coexist very well, and thus, not only be a city for doing business but also for bringing investments of any kind, whether it be hotel infrastructure, gastronomy, etc. Therefore, we are very pleased that we can also provide conditions for officials who will help contribute to the control and progress from the logistical point of view of the region and especially of the southern macro-zone.”
The new infrastructure that is beginning construction will house all the officials of that Regional Directorate. Its objective is to expand and enable spaces, standardizing existing offices and optimizing underused infrastructure. The aim is to recover an institutional building with spacious, modern and sustainable spaces.
The investment exceeds $2.400 billion pesos and has a completion period of 390 days, so its delivery is expected by early 2023.
Among the The main characteristics of the projected property are its certification as a Sustainable Building - the first of its kind in the Customs Department. Materials such as steel, concrete and thermo-panel glass will be used in its construction. It will have lighting and temperature control and efficient use of lighting and drinking water.
From Talcahuano, more than 90 officials protect international trade, borders and citizens in ports, border crossings and airports in the regions of Maule, Ñuble, Biobío and La Araucanía, being the only regional directorate that has this vast territory under its jurisdiction.
The most notable checkpoints include Pino Hachado, Mamuil Malal, Icalma; Carriel Sur and Araucanía Airports; and 13 maritime checkpoints, including the ports of Talcahuano, San Vicente, Lirquén and Coronel, which are key to foreign trade in the Southern Macro Zone.
The work of this Customs Office is central to the promotion of economic development in the southern macro zone, given its central position in this territory, which seeks to become a connecting point for the direct entry and exit of goods from the South of Chile to the world.
Aduana News is the first Argentine customs newspaper to launch its digital version. With 20 years of experience, its publications and initiatives aim to provide the most relevant knowledge on customs issues in order to contribute to safe trade in the region.
