Surface units of the Southern Naval Area Command (ANAU) are in Puerto Williams to participate in the XXV edition of Viekaren, a combined exercise between the Argentine and Chilean navies.
Framed in the activities contemplated in the Treaty of Peace and Friendship signed in 1984, it aims to increase interoperability between the two navies and strengthen coordination in the event of maritime emergencies in an area of high geopolitical relevance, such as the Beagle Channel.
Within this framework, the navies of both countries are trained in the standardization and coordinated execution of procedures, to provide effective responses to emergency situations at sea, linked to maritime safety, the safeguarding of human life, the protection of the environment and pollution control.
On behalf of the Argentine Navy, the ocean patrol vessel ARA “Contraalmirante Cordero”, dependent on the Maritime Patrol Division and stationed as a station ship in Ushuaia; the ARA “Indómita” speedboat and the ARA “Clorinda” and ARA “Baradero” patrol boats, under the ANAU’s Southern Patrol Division.
For its part, the Chilean Navy is represented by the general service patrol boats ARCH “Isaza” and ARCH “Sibbald” and the general service boats ARCH “Alacalufe” and ARCH “Hallef”, belonging to the Beagle Naval District (DISNABE), in addition to the Puerto Williams Naval Air Detachment.
Likewise, in this edition, the exercise incorporated the naval air component, with the participation of a UH-05 naval helicopter from the Chilean Navy and a B-200 aircraft from the Argentine Navy. These means provide fundamental tactical and operational capabilities, such as speed of response, greater range and the possibility of carrying out search and rescue tasks in sectors that are difficult to access by sea, particularly in the face of the demanding weather conditions typical of the region.
On behalf of the Argentine Navy, the ocean patrol vessel ARA “Contraalmirante Cordero”, dependent on the Maritime Patrol Division and stationed as a station ship in Ushuaia; the ARA “Indómita” speedboat and the ARA “Clorinda” and ARA “Baradero” patrol boats, under the ANAU’s Southern Patrol Division.
For its part, the Chilean Navy is represented by the general service patrol boats ARCH “Isaza” and ARCH “Sibbald” and the general service boats ARCH “Alacalufe” and ARCH “Hallef”, belonging to the Beagle Naval District (DISNABE), in addition to the Puerto Williams Naval Air Detachment.
Likewise, in this edition, the exercise incorporated the naval air component, with the participation of a UH-05 naval helicopter from the Chilean Navy and a B-200 aircraft from the Argentine Navy. These means provide fundamental tactical and operational capabilities, such as speed of response, greater range and the possibility of carrying out search and rescue tasks in sectors that are difficult to access by sea, particularly in the face of the demanding weather conditions typical of the region.
It should be noted that Viekaren is a word of Yaghan origin that means “trust”. In this sense, the combined participation of both countries contributes to consolidating the ties of cooperation and mutual trust between the Argentine Navy and the Chilean Navy, strengthening the capacity for coordinated response in the complex waters of the Beagle Channel.