Harengus sails through the Strait of Magellan

Harengus, a cargo ship owned by Samherji, is currently loading in San Vicente in Chile 4,000 tonnes of pelagic fish which will be sold in Nigeria. The vessel, which is now chartered by the company Green Sea in Belgium, sailed through the Strait of Magellan on the way west for South America and the trip was documented on video.

It seemed appropriate to document the trip as this year marks the 500th anniversary of the discoveries of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. It was in October 1520 that Magellan discovered the Atlantic-Pacific passage, later named the Strait of Magellan. With this trip, Magellan led the first voyage around the globe but was unable to complete it because he passed away before it ended.

Harengus, built in 1992 and registered in the Faroe Islands, is a freighter with freezer holds for loose stacked cargo. Pelagic fish from South America is mainly shipped there in frozen containers, but due to a container shortage related to the Covid-19 pandemic, Harengus was booked for this transport.

The loading of the cargo in San Vicente has been successful and in a few days Harengus will sail back through the Strait of Magellan. The voyage from San Vicente to Nigeria is close to 6,400 miles and the journey back will take about three weeks.

A video clip of the voyage through the Strait of Magellan can be viewed here.