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Investment in the construction of new ports is essential for a country like Panama, whose economy depends heavily on the logistics sector, to continue to compete globally in the coming years.
Since nearly one third of Panama's Gross Domestic Product is created by the logistics sector, the development of this productive activity is of great importance for the country.
After several delays in the construction process, the Moin Container Terminal was officially inaugurated in Costa Rica, a port that has already been authorized to start operations of the second berth.
The operations of the maritime terminal in charge of the concessionaire APM Terminals began in October 2018, since at the end of that month the authorities of the National Council of Concessions informed that after the definitive reception of the work, the maritime terminal received the order to start operating.
The National Port Company Santo Tomás de Castilla will seek external financing to develop the expansion works planned for the port terminal in the next five years.
According to the representatives of the Empresa Portuaria Nacional Santo Tomas de Castilla (Empornac), in the next five years a cruise terminal will be built, one for solid and liquid bulk, and another for containers.
Authorities at the CEPA in El Salvador announced that in October they plan to publish, once again, the tender to grant the operation of the port terminal in concession.
In September 2017, here at CentralAmericaData we published: "Almost nine years after its inauguration, Puerto La Union in El Salvador is still not operating to its full capacity, and two years have now passed without a private company managing to take over its operation."
It has been announced that the port terminal will receive two new cranes valued at $26 million, an investment that is part of the project to expand and equip Pier 6.
The Honduran Presidency reported that the two cranes, Super Post Panamax Ship-to-Shore, will be the largest in the region and will be installed on pier 6 of Puerto Cortés, which in recent years has been undergoing an expansion and modernization process.
Opposition on the part of a port operator and residents in the area is preventing the development of a terminal that would speed up maritime traffic in the Panamanian Pacific and result in lower logistics costs.
The opposition that has been expressed by the current operator of the port of Balboa, on top of the legal actions filed by groups of residents, lawyers and environmental organizations, has prevented the ACP's project to build a port in Corozal from advancing.The tender was declared void in March of last year, after having been postponed twice.
The first phase of the Liquid Boiler Terminal comprises the construction of four storage tanks for liquids such as solvents and vegetable oils, and will be finished in March 2018.
The goal of the liquid products storage terminal whose construction has started at the port ofCaldera, Puntarenas, is to provide storage services for chemical products such as solvents, and vegetable and animal and oils. The company in charge of the project has not ruled out requesting permits to store other products, like fuels in the future.
The company is preparing the documents to tender a service for mobile cranes for unloading goods at the port.
Authorities at Empresa Portuaria Quetzal expect the bidding process to take about six months.The new contractor will replace Servicios Bayside, whose contract expires in May 2018.
The president of the Board of Directors of the EPQ, Bernardo López, explained that "... the contract has been in force since 2001 and its value is $9.9 million."
The opening of the container terminal that is being built by APM Terminals in Limón will occur in February 2019, and not in January 2018, as originally planned.
Just weeks after APM Terminals authorities announced that the work was to be delayed until mid-2018, they have now announced that the problems that arose during the construction process are even bigger, and will result in a delay of more than one year from the date initially agreed.
A court ruling has overturned the SAT resolutions authorizing Empresa Portuaria Quetzal y Terminal de Contenedores Quetzal to operate as temporary customs warehouses.
Although the Superintendency of Tax Administration (SAT) has announced that it will be appealing the ruling given by the Second Administrative Appeals Chamber, the reality is that since June 28, the activities of the customs warehouses in Empresa Portuaria Quetzal (EPQ) have been suspended as well as those at the Terminal de Contenedores Quetzal (TCQ)."...The resolution orders that the SAT no longer has the customs service under its administration, which contravenes the Central American Customs Code CAUCA, therefore the Superintendency will file an appeal against the decision made by the Court."
Due to several constructive defects, the Dutch company APM Terminals anticipates that the opening of the container terminal will take place in June 2018 and not in January, as originally planned.
According to authorities of the concessionaire, among the inconveniences that have occurred in the process of constructing the port terminal are poor compaction of the surface of the 40 hectare artificial island, and damages in 20 meters of the breakwater, among other things.APM Terminals estimates that the work will be completed in June 2018, and not on January 18, as indicated in the contract.
Companies from Mexico, Colombia and France have shown interest in operating the Nicaraguan port terminal through means of a private concession.
The possibility of granting in concession the operation and maintenance of the port is something Nicaraguan entrepreneurs have been suggesting to the government for some time, since they believe that using this method, improvements could be made in the efficiency of the terminal's operations.
China Landbridge Group has started construction of the Panama-Colon container port in Isla Margarita, Panama, which will be capable of servicing Neo Panamax vessels.
From a statement issued by the Presidency of Panama:
The investment of 1 billion balboas in the construction of a new container port in the country with capacity to attend Neo Panamax vessels reaffirms the confidence of foreign companies in the economic stability of Panama.
From July 25 to 28 representatives from the port industry in the region will be meeting in Belize at the XXXIX Port Meeting of the Central American Isthmus.
At the event, to be held at the Best Westerm Biltmore Plaza Hotel in Belize, the main discussion panels will address current issues such as the Cruise Industry, Mobility and Logistics Policy in Central America, Strengthening Environmental Port Management in Central America, Multilateral Agreement And Safety, Port Security and Protection, Gross Verified Mass (GVM), Climate Change and the Role of Women in the Port Industry, among others.