National Association of Port Cities Demands Port Royalty and Calls on President Kast to Support It

Original article: Asociación Nacional de Ciudades Puerto exige Royalty Portuario e insta al Presidente Kast a «patrocinarlo»

In a nonpartisan effort, mayors from the National Association of Port Cities and Coastal Communities of Chile (ANCPCH) issued a public statement during the organization’s second assembly, addressing the political landscape.

In the statement, they propose immediate actions to implement a fair port policy benefiting residents of port cities and coastal communes across the nation.

This declaration comes at a pivotal moment, as public and private ports are undergoing significant expansion amid a challenging geopolitical context and consistent growth in national port activity.

Consequently, the mayors argue that this growth must translate into improvements in quality of life, equity, and territorial justice for the communities hosting these ports.

The president of ANCPCH and mayor of Coquimbo, Ali Manouchehri, emphasized that the statement aims for sustainable port development, promoting harmony and returns for port cities and coastal areas.

«We demand a port royalty, a legal, permanent contribution for our communes that is equitable for public, concessioned, and private ports. We will not allow decisions regarding our coastal areas to continue being made without the involvement of our cities,» stated the mayor of Coquimbo.

«The government has the necessary tools; the constitution allows for local identity activities to fund municipal infrastructure, and the initiative lies with the President of the Republic,» Manouchehri added.

Requests to the President and Authorities

The mayor of Coquimbo elaborated that the request to President Kast is to «support the Port Royalty and legally establish a Undersecretary of Ports and Logistics for all ports.»

«In addition, we also request amendments to Law 19.542 so that each port commune has a director with voting rights in their port company and that all ports also adhere to the regulatory plan. To advance, we seek meetings with the ministers of Transport and Public Works, Finance, Defense, and Economy, along with the president of the Chamber of Deputies,» Manouchehri detailed.

In summary, the mayors propose:

• A legal, permanent port royalty, with equitable contributions for public, concessioned, and private ports.
• The legal establishment of a Undersecretary of Ports and Logistics.
• An amendment to Law 19.542, to ensure each port commune has a director with voting rights in their port company and that all ports respect the regulatory plan.
• Meetings with the ministers of Transport and Public Works, Finance, Defense, and Economy, and with the president of the Chamber of Deputies.

A Demand Born from Externalities

The request arises from the externalities generated by port activities, a primary economic driver for the country.

Valparaíso Mayor Camila Nieto stressed that «what we are demanding is a historical request» and noted that the new policy must consider «how to achieve better wealth redistribution in the communes where the ports are located (…) and also how we can generate greater wealth as a result of port activities.»

Nieto acknowledged that «it is not possible for us to be in crucial processes of port growth in communes such as San Antonio and Valparaíso without the assurance that these expansions will bring wealth redistribution and tangible benefits to the communities.»

Additionally, Caldera Mayor Brunilda González stated that «when development benefits our localities, it undoubtedly promotes greater and better territorial justice. We are here because we are convinced that this is an issue of philosophical and ideological conception centered on the decentralization our country needs.»

In a similar vein, the president of the Association of Concessioned Port Cities of Chile and mayor of Quintero, Rolando Silva, commented, «Just as the ports grow through private enterprises, the communes where they are located must also develop. We bear all the externalities left by the ports, and today, municipalities have to cover them.»

Parliamentary Support

The initiative received immediate backing from parliament members. Senator Diego Ibáñez (FA) reported that «several port royalty projects are on the table, but unfortunately, they require the will of the President of the Republic and the Executive, which is why we ask President Kast to listen to the mayors of port cities and advance toward greater territorial equity.»

«A good way to meet infrastructure, modernization, housing, and livability needs is to allocate a percentage of private port profits directly to benefit our neighbors. So, we fully support this Association,» Ibáñez insisted.

Similarly, deputy Daniel Manouchehri (PS) added, «We will strongly support in Congress the advancement of a royalty for port cities, but also highlight the need to incorporate citizens, represented by their mayors, in decision-making regarding these ports. These are just demands that we will defend.»

We will continue to provide updates.