Project record

San Antonio Puerto Exterior common marine works

Participation
Not assessed
Project facts checked

Environmental approval was granted on 26 May 2026; six bidders or consortia are prequalified for the common marine-works tender, but no construction award has been announced

Project sources

Empresa Portuaria San Antonio is in the final international tender phase for Chile's Puerto Exterior common works after unanimous environmental approval in May 2026. The USD 1.95 billion public package covers an approximately 4-kilometre breakwater, basin and access-channel dredging, reclaimed terminal platforms, rail access with two stations, construction facilities and environmental measures. The final prequalification register contains Van Oord, Jan De Nul, CHEC and three consortia led by Dragados-Sacyr, CRCC and Acciona-Hyundai. These are eligible bidders, not awarded contractors. CAF approved USD 150 million in 2025 and signed the first USD 50 million credit in June 2026 for enabling works.

Puerto San Antonio concept rendering of the planned Puerto Exterior breakwater, basin and two container terminals

Puerto San Antonio; project concept rendering, not evidence that construction has started

Location

Chile / Americas

Segment

Deep-water ports, dredging and reclamation

Phase

Tender / Confirmed

Last checked

1 August 2026

Coverage

Related sectors

Deep-water ports, dredging and reclamation is the primary work classification. Related sectors connect this record to adjacent marine delivery and market coverage.

Subject index

Related subjects

These subject pages bring together related projects, technical articles, reports, and evidence methods.

Project anatomy

Contract scope and delivery roles

Client / authority
Empresa Portuaria San Antonio, the Chilean state port company responsible for the common infrastructure
Delivery parties
Van Oord Dredging and Marine Contractors B.V. - prequalified bidder; no award announced, Jan De Nul NV - prequalified bidder; no award announced, China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd. - prequalified bidder; no award announced, Consorcio Dragados Sacyr Obras Portuarias S.A. - Sacyr Chile and Dragados Chile; prequalified bidder; no award announced, Consorcio Grupo CRCC - CRCC International Chile and CRCC Harbour and Channel Engineering Bureau Group; prequalified bidder; no award announced, Consorcio Acciona-Hyundai - Acciona Construccion Chile and Hyundai Engineering & Construction; prequalified bidder; no award announced, SENER - detailed breakwater designer identified in Puerto San Antonio records, PRDW - owner's engineer identified in the physical-modelling chain, HR Wallingford and Chile's National Hydraulics Institute - large-scale physical modelling for breakwater stability and vessel movements, CAF - USD 150 million financing approval, with an initial USD 50 million credit signed in June 2026
Contract route
Puerto San Antonio ran an international expression-of-interest process in 2024, opened prequalification in January 2025 and finalised a six-bidder register in November 2025. Environmental approval followed on 26 May 2026. The owner says the common-works award is planned for 2026 and separately sought market interest for a PMO and technical-inspection role in May-June 2026. No winner, executed construction contract, PMO award, final price, dredging plant or subcontractor has been published.
Execution window
The owner projects enabling works from 2027 after the common-works award. Earlier sequencing placed quarry roads, rock-transfer logistics, a rail unloading station, construction access and laydown before the main breakwater and deep dredging. The first 865 metres of terminal frontage and 1.5 million TEU of annual capacity are targeted around 2036; full build-out is staged with demand to 6 million TEU per year.
Works package
Construct an approximately 4-kilometre breakwater; dredge the harbour basin and access channel; reuse suitable dredged material in terminal-platform reclamation; build common back-up areas, rail access with two stations, roads, construction facilities and utility interfaces; and deliver environmental mitigation, compensation, public-space and community commitments. The common infrastructure enables two semi-automated terminals of 1,730 metres each, which will be built and operated later under private concessions.
Marine interfaces
Breakwater armour, core and quarry logistics must sequence with dredging, reclamation fill, temporary access, wave protection and terminal-platform settlement. The navigation geometry must ultimately accommodate 400-metre container ships, while construction and operation remain subject to the environmental conditions covering Ojos de Mar wetlands, artisan fishing, underwater noise, material reuse, shoreline access and community measures.
Commercial evidence boundary
The public tender creates a rare visible contest among major European, Chinese and Korean marine builders. The main near-term market event is the award and its risk allocation across quarry production, rock transport, breakwater, dredging, reclamation, rail access and environmental obligations. The bidder register gives no basis to assign shares, plant, local partners or suppliers before the owner publishes the evaluated offer and executed contract.

Project timeline

Material developments

Dated events that changed scope, counterparties, delivery, commissioning or operating status.

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CAF and Puerto San Antonio signed an initial USD 50 million credit

The financing supports enabling works and sits within CAF's broader USD 150 million approval; it is not the full USD 1.95 billion public package or proof that construction has started.

Source

The owner opened PMO and technical-inspection market interest

The separate advisory process exposes the intended construction-control package while leaving the PMO appointment and main works award open.

Source

Puerto Exterior received unanimous environmental approval

The favourable RCA closed a six-year environmental review and allowed the final international tender to proceed toward a planned 2026 award.

Source

Puerto San Antonio finalised the six-party prequalification register

Six global bidders or consortia became eligible to submit offers for the breakwater, dredging, reclamation, rail-access and environmental package; none became contractor at this stage.

Source

Evidence gap

What remains unverified

Outstanding evidence

  • Common marine-works preferred bidder, award value and executed contract
  • PMO and independent technical-inspection award
  • Quarry, armourstone and rock-transport package allocation
  • Breakwater construction method, temporary works and marine plant
  • Dredger fleet, production method and dredged-material reuse balance
  • Reclamation settlement, ground improvement and platform handover criteria
  • Environmental approval conditions carried into construction controls
  • 2027 enabling-works notice to proceed and site mobilisation
  • Terminal-concession sequence after common infrastructure
  • First 865-metre frontage and 2036 operating-readiness evidence

Related records 3

Reporting status

Project phase
Tender
Evidence confidence
Confirmed
Last checked
1 August 2026
Cited sources
8

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