The Importance of Bioceanic Corridors for Chile

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Bioceanic corridors are far more than transport routes. They are strategic infrastructure systems that connect Atlantic and Pacific markets, improve regional integration and can position Chile as a leading gateway between South America and the Asia-Pacific region.

For Chile, whose economy relies heavily on international trade, these corridors create opportunities to expand port activity, attract investment and support businesses in logistics, tourism, services and export industries. Chile’s extensive Pacific coastline, modern port network, and outward-looking trade policy make it a natural endpoint for cargo moving from Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina toward Asian markets.

Chile’s Strategic Role

Chile occupies a unique position in South America. Its ports provide direct access to major Pacific shipping routes, while Andean crossings connect the country with agricultural, industrial and mineral-producing regions on the Atlantic side of the continent.

The development of bioceanic corridors can give exporters in Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay more efficient access to Pacific ports. From Chile, goods can be shipped to key markets in China, Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia.

The benefits for Chile go well beyond transit cargo. Stronger cross-border links can stimulate investment in warehousing, customs services, freight terminals, roads, railways, accommodation and professional services.

Key Corridors Through Chile

Several important routes are being developed or promoted to connect Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Chilean ports.

Central Latitude 30 Corridor

The Central Latitude 30 Corridor links southern Brazil with the port of Coquimbo in Chile. The route passes through key Argentine provinces, including Córdoba, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos and San Juan.
It could improve trade, tourism, and investment links between central South America and Chile’s Coquimbo Region. Its long-term success will depend on dependable mountain crossings, modern border facilities and sufficient port capacity.

ATACALAR Corridor

The ATACALAR Corridor connects parts of southern Brazil and northwestern Argentina with ports in Chile’s Atacama Region, including Caldera, Chañaral and Taltal.
The route involves the Argentine provinces of Catamarca, La Rioja, Tucumán and Córdoba. For Atacama, it could support port services, mining logistics and wider cross-border commercial activity.
Capricorn Bioceanic Corridor

The Capricorn Corridor is among the region’s most significant connectivity projects. It links the port of Santos in Brazil with northern Chile through Paraguay and north-western Argentina.
In Chile, it connects with the Antofagasta and Tarapacá regions, including the ports of Antofagasta, Mejillones, Tocopilla and Iquique. These facilities already support mining exports, bulk cargo, and international trade, giving them a strong foundation for additional regional freight.
The corridor can also provide Paraguay with more direct access to Pacific markets, while offering Brazilian and Argentine exporters an alternative route for selected cargo bound for Asia.
Agua Negra and San Juan.

The proposed Agua Negra Tunnel is one of the most important potential bioceanic projects for San Juan, Argentina, and Chile’s Coquimbo Region. Planned beneath the Andes near the existing Agua Negra Pass, it would create a more reliable, year-round link between San Juan and the port of Coquimbo.
For San Juan, the tunnel could improve Pacific access for agricultural products, wine, mining output and manufactured goods. For Chile, it could increase cargo volumes through Coquimbo and encourage investment in port capacity, logistics centres, warehousing and cross-border services.
The tunnel is closely linked to the Central Latitude 30 Corridor. A permanent crossing would reduce dependence on seasonal mountain passes and make trade connections between central-western Argentina and Pacific markets more resilient.

The project still requires substantial financing, environmental approvals and long-term political coordination between Argentina and Chile. Nevertheless, it remains strategically important because it could transform San Juan into a more connected export region while strengthening Coquimbo’s role as a Pacific logistics gateway.

A Route to Asia

The Bioceanic Route between Santos and northern Chile covers approximately 2,400 kilometres. It creates an alternative path for cargo that currently travels through Atlantic ports or longer maritime routes.
For exporters, the value of these corridors depends on more than distance. Success requires:
• Reliable roads, tunnels and border crossings
• Efficient customs and immigration procedures
• Competitive port costs and dependable shipping services
• Modern freight terminals, storage and cold-chain facilities
• Security and common transport standards
• Strong road and rail links with production areas

Bioceanic corridors will not replace established Atlantic shipping routes. However, they can provide greater flexibility and more efficient access to Pacific markets for selected industries and cargo types.
Infrastructure and Investment

Chile’s wider connectivity strategy also includes proposals such as Paso Las Leñas, linking Mendoza in Argentina with Chile’s O’Higgins Region, and the South Trans-Andean Railway, which seeks to connect the Biobío Region with Neuquén and Bahía Blanca in Argentina.
These initiatives face engineering, environmental, financial and political challenges. Yet they reflect an increasingly important regional objective: creating dependable links across the Andes to improve trade within South America and with global markets.

Bioceanic corridors also create investment opportunities beyond roads and ports. They can encourage private-sector participation in:
• Logistics centres and bonded warehouses
• Cold-chain infrastructure for food and agricultural exports
• Trucking, rail freight and intermodal terminals
• Customs, insurance and trade-finance services
• Tourism, accommodation and retail facilities
• Renewable energy and digital connectivity projects
• Industrial and export-processing zones near ports

Chile’s concession system, based on public-private partnerships, can play an important role in funding future roads, tunnels, terminals and port upgrades.

Regional Integration

The true value of bioceanic corridors lies in their ability to connect economies, not merely move freight. They can bring producers, ports, cities and investors closer together across Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Chile.

For Chile, the opportunity is to reinforce its role as a Pacific logistics platform while ensuring benefits reach northern and regional communities. Well-planned projects can support employment, trade, tourism and investment. Poor planning, however, may create congestion, environmental pressure and limited local benefits.

The next stage is not simply construction. It requires coordination on border management, environmental safeguards, customs rules, port capacity and private investment. If that coordination succeeds, bioceanic corridors—and particularly the Agua Negra connection between San Juan and Coquimbo—could become major drivers of South American integration in the decades ahead.

GTSA-SA

Founded in 2004, GTSA began as a single office in Buenos Aires. Since then, it has grown into a vibrant regional network, providing professional real estate marketing services to clients in AR, BR, CL, PY, PE, and UY.