The Navy of Colombia in partnership with the Municipality of Tumaco, transported aboard the Landing Ship Amphibious ARC Bahia Solano to the village of Candelilla del Mar, in Tumaco, Nariño, more than 200 tonnes of construction material that will lead the building of bridges over the sea with the aim of contributing to the mobility, safety, and well-being of this community.
This project, led and executed by the Navy Infantry Brigade No.4 and the Drug Trafficking Task Force No. 72 Poseidon, seeks to improve the quality of life of more than 700 Tumaqueños who live in this village and reduce the risks in the displacements to which they are exposed daily.
Local residents stated that “they are prisoners in their own homes” and that this construction will help them prevent accidents with minors, elderly and disabled people who are constantly being hit because of the deterioration of the infrastructure of the bridges built in rudimentary ways.
The Mayor's Office of Tumaco made the purchase of the construction materials and it was the Colombian Navy who carried out the transport in the Bahía Solano ARC, from Tumaco to Candelilla de la Mar, where for more than three days the Colombian Sailors worked to start this important social project. The Mayor of Tumaco, María Emilsen Angulo Guevara, affirms that this coordination leads her to reduce expenses and make the transportation and construction process more efficient.
The border village of Candelilla de la Mar is the Colombian inhabitants closest to the Equator by the Pacific Ocean, is in the south western tip of the country a few kilometers from Cabo Manglares and is a strategic point for the defense of the sovereignty of Colombia.
At the end of 2021, the work of the Colombian Navy, which had the support of the United States, led to the inauguration of a 248-meter-long pier, benefiting people in social, economic and security terms, contributing to increasing operational efforts to counter drug trafficking and the criminal operations of FARC dissident groups in the region.
In recent years, the Colombian Navy has worked to strengthen comprehensive maritime security, boost economic development and safeguard the lives of the inhabitants of the Colombian Pacific, in this case bringing State aid to this important border municipality of Colombia, a place to admire and recognize for its environmental richness and geostrategic beauty.
Source: Press - Navy of Colombia
