• The Chilean delegation met with public transportation operators in Oslo, Amsterdam and Lisbon and presented the Regional Public Transportation Division (DTPR) Ferry Plan to the European ship industry.

Transportation Undersecretary Martín Mackenna led a technical mission to Oslo, Amsterdam, The Hague and Lisbon. The goal was to learn how these cities plan, tender and electrify their water-based passenger transport services, to inform the Chile Waterborne project.

The International Association of Public Transport (UITP), Innovation Norway, the Dutch agency RVO, Maritime & Offshore NL, and the Chilean embassies in all three countries coordinated the delegation’s itinerary. The delegation also included Diego Silva from the DTPR and Patricio Álvarez, representing InvestChile.

Oslo: Ferry Tenders and Electrification

On the first day, the delegation visited Ruter, the public company that manages public transportation in Oslo, Norway. The undersecretary and the DTPR team presented the Chile Waterborne project. Ruter specialists also discussed safety, shared mobility integration, contracts and tenders, operator management, payment systems and bus and ferry electrification.

In the afternoon, Innovation Norway organized a technical session on ferry tenders with institutions including the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Statens Vegvesen), the Norwegian Coastal Administration (Kystverket), and ENOVA, an agency that funds the adoption of green technologies.

The day continued with a market session bringing together maritime clusters, operators, investors, and financial institutions such as DNB and Eksfin. It concluded with a dinner hosted by Chile’s ambassador to Norway.

Netherlands: GVB and the Dutch ship industry

In Amsterdam, the delegation met with GVB. This public company operates the city’s transportation system, including its ferry service, in a peer-to-peer exchange similar to the one in Oslo.

The Chilean delegation also visited Tesla’s Amsterdam headquarters to learn about charging solutions, electric trucks and battery energy storage.

On the second day of the Netherlands visit, the undersecretary presented Chile’s Barge Plan to potential bidders at the Chilean Embassy in The Hague. Attendees included ship operators, inland navigation associations, and shipyards interested in upcoming tenders. RVO and Maritime & Offshore NL supported the session.

Later that evening, Chile’s ambassador to the Netherlands hosted a dinner at his residence for guests from the investment and research sectors.

Lisbon: UITP Waterborne Committee

The mission concluded in Lisbon, where the delegation joined the UITP Waterborne Committee. This forum brings together operators and authorities from several countries involved in waterborne passenger transport.

The schedule included technical visits and an exchange with Transtejo Soflusa (TTSL), the public company operating passenger river transport on the Tagus River.

That same day, InvestChile’s Patricio Álvarez visited the headquarters of Grupo Brisa, a Portuguese highway concessionaire, to meet with executives interested in Chile’s road infrastructure concession market.