Argentina
Quirno and Presti visited Ushuaia with Melella to review strategic Antarctic works
The tour included the Integrated Naval Base and a meeting on the Antarctic Logistics Hub and the recovery of the Petrel base. According to Ámbito, the government allocated more than $200 billion to initiatives linked to Ushuaia and the Antarctic projection.
Pablo Quirno and Carlos Presti were in Ushuaia this Friday, where they toured the site of the future Integrated Naval Base and met with Tierra del Fuego Governor Gustavo Melella to analyze projects linked to Antarctic logistics and the Petrel base.
According to Ámbito, the meeting also included military authorities, among them the Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marcelo Dalle Nogare, and the Navy chief, Juan Carlos Romay, as well as national lawmakers and Vice Governor Mónica Urquiza.
During the visit, three axes were addressed: the Integrated Naval Base, the Ushuaia Logistics Hub promoted by the province, and the recovery of the Antarctic Petrel base. According to the outlet, Melella placed special emphasis on the latter point because of its connection with the other two projects.
Ámbito said one of the goals is to move ahead with the full recovery of Petrel, with the modernization of the living quarters and the expansion of the runway. It also indicated that the base is seen as a strategic projection node toward Antarctica, with the capacity to coordinate maritime and air operations.
According to that outlet, Petrel’s advantage is that its location allows it to operate year-round, unlike Marambio, which faces winter weather restrictions. It also added that the new gravel runway, about 1,200 meters long, has already been tested with SAAB 340 aircraft from the Argentine Air Force and Beechcraft B-200 aircraft from Naval Aviation.
Ámbito reported that, following the presidential announcements on the Malvinas, Decree 867/2026 allocated more than $200 billion for the Integrated Naval Base and the Petrel Joint Antarctic Base. It also stated that the estimated cost of the work in Ushuaia stands between $400 million and $500 million and that, according to sources in the Fuegian government, tenders would be launched in the short term.
Sources
About this note. Written by El Notero with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not conduct its own reporting on this event.
