Arriving from the Rothera Antarctic base , the British polar vessel RRS Sir David Attenborough has completed its arrival at the Chilean port of Punta Arenas. According to maritime tracking records from the Marine Traffic platform , the Malvina Islands-flagged vessel docked at the Magallanes terminal last Saturday, January 3, at 11:14 p.m. , thus completing another stage of its logistical deployment in the far south.

However, the ship's arrival is shrouded in mystery regarding the route it took to sail from Rothera to the Chilean port . To date, there is complete secrecy surrounding the vessel's exact voyage, and it remains unconfirmed whether it opted for the Pacific route or, conversely, repeated the controversial Atlantic crossing.

The Question: Pacific Ocean or Le Maire Strait?

The big question surrounding this movement is whether the icebreaker sailed through international waters or entered Argentine territorial waters. Had it chosen the Atlantic route, the ship would have had to pass east of Isla de los Estados or, in a more provocative maneuver, cross the Le Maire Strait —the narrow passage of just 27 kilometers separating Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego from Isla de los Estados.

Following this crossing, the vessel reportedly entered Punta Arenas through the eastern mouth of the Strait of Magellan , sailing past Border Marker 1, which is guarded by the Argentine Navy. This route, which the ship has taken in previous seasons, tests the monitoring capacity and the willingness of national authorities to protest, given that it involves the passage of a colonial flag through areas of extreme sovereignty sensitivity.

Silence in the Control Bodies

Despite the geopolitical importance of this movement and the inquiries made 48 hours ago by Agenda Malvinas to the press office of the Argentine Naval Prefecture, they have not provided any information about the ship's route during its transit . Whether the ship "cut through" Argentine inland waters or respected international boundaries is key to determining if there was a new violation of territorial sovereignty.

Sir David Attenborough 's presence in Punta Arenas is a fait accompli. What remains to be determined, and what the authorities have yet to clarify, is whether the Argentine state once again allowed the flag of usurpation to fly unhindered off the coast of Tierra del Fuego.