Navimag (Naviera Magallanes S.A.) is a ferry operator in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

. The company operates two routes carrying passengers and vehicles: *

Puerto Montt Puerto Montt (Mapuche: Meli Pulli) is a port city and commune in southern Chile, located at the northern end of the Reloncaví Sound in the Llanquihue Province, Los Lagos Region, 1,055 km to the south of the capital, Santiago. The commune spa ...

Puerto Natales Puerto Natales is a city in Chilean Patagonia. It is the capital of both the commune of Natales and the province of Última Esperanza, one of the four provinces that make up the Magallanes and Antartica Chilena Region in the southernmost part of C ...

, calling at Puerto Eden (a 4-day journey) *Puerto Montt to

Puerto Chacabuco Puerto Chacabuco is a Chilean town in Aisén commune. Administratively it belongs to Aysén Province in Aysén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Region and is located at the head of Aisén Fjord. It is the main port of the region, a port of ...

The company also operates services from Puerto Montt and Puerto Chacabuco to

Laguna San Rafael San Rafael Lake is an arc-shaped coastal lake located in the Aysén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Region of Chile, within the national park that bears its name. To the north the lagoon is connected to the Moraleda Channel, to the south l ...

. The company was formed in 1979, when cargo services between Puerto Montt and

Punta Arenas Punta Arenas (; historically Sandy Point in English) is the capital city of Chile's southernmost region, Magallanes and Antarctica Chilena. The city was officially renamed as Magallanes in 1927, but in 1938 it was changed back to "Punta Aren ...

were started. Passenger services to Puerto Natales and Laguna San Rafael were added in 1985. In 2000 the ''Magallanes'' joined the fleet second hand. Built in 1977/78 in Japan, she was renamed ''Evangelistas'' in 2007. During her two-decades long career with Navimag she spent most of her time on the route to Puerto Natales. After her replacement 2020 by the ''Esperanza'' she was scrapped in India. The ''Puerto Edén'' was used in principal to Chacabuco. In late 2009 ''Amadeo 1'' joined the fleet and early 2014 Navimag began operating the ''Edén'' along ''Amadeo 1'' as operational Ro-ro ferries to Puerto Natales. On August 18, 2014 en route to Puerto Natales, Navimag ferry ''Amadeo 1'', struck a rock in the Kirke Channel near Puerto Natales. The collision caused a starboard breach of the hull and the ship took on water. ''Amadeo 1'' capsized in the shallow water, with most of the ship lying above the water line. During the following year, Navimag determined that the ship was not salvageable. With the assistance of the Armada de Chile, the ''Amadeo 1'' was scuttled in 2,700-meter-deep waters off Diego de Almagro Island, Chile on September 21, 2015. In 2016, Navimag purchased the ''Trinidad I'' to join ''Evangelistas'' on the Puerto Montt route while ''Edén'' took over the service to Chacabuco. In 2020 the Chinese built ''Esperanza'' entered service, replacing ''Evangelistas''. This new passenger-freight ferry will carry up 244 passengers along with vehicles at a maximum speed of 13 knots.

Navimag Ferries

File:Ferry eden.jpg, Ferry ''Eden'' in Puerto Montt File:2007-12-23-MV-Puerto-Eden-Canal-Moraleda.JPG, ''MV Puerto Edén'' in the Moraleda Canal File:2019-03-12 NAVIMAG ferry, EVANGELISTAS - IMO 7627962.jpg, ''MV Evangelistas'' heading into the Kirke Narrows near Puerto Natales File:2019-03-14 NAVIMAG ferry, TRINIDAD I - IMO 8917871.jpg, ''MV Trinidad 1'', entering English Narrows, north of Puerto Edén File:Amadeo I (Navimag).jpg, ''MV Amadeo I'', at the dock in Puerto Natales File:M-N Coyhaique.jpg, ''MV Coyhaique'' in Puerto Natales File:MN Dalka.jpg, ''MV Dalka'' in Puerto Montt File:Ferry esperanza.jpg, ''M/V Esperanza'' in Puerto Montt

References

External links

{{official website, url=https://www.navimag.com/explora-la-patagonia-en-ferry-navimag
Navimag's route from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales through the Chilean fjords in Google Earth
Ferry companies of Chile Transport in Los Lagos Region 1979 establishments in Chile Transport in Magallanes Region