April 2 - Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS) has advised that several ports remain closed following the Chilean earthquake and tsunami alert.

The ports of Arica, Patache, Iquique and Mejillones are closed for operations pending damage inspections from the Chilean Maritime Authority, while the port of Tocopilla is closed due to the current swell conditions.

All other Chilean ports are open and working in normal condition.

The tsunami alert was issued after an earthquake measuring 8.2 degrees on the Richter scale struck 86 km northwest of Chile's Iquique port of April 1 at 20:46 local time.

The ports should be reopened following structural checks being made by the Chilean Maritime Authority.

Updates will be posted on the ISS website.

www.iss-shipping.com