The Supreme Court of Justice in Panama has accepted the appeal for legal protection brought against the construction project of a multimodal port in Isla Margarita, province of Colon.
The Environmental Impact Study (EIA) that Panama Colón Container Port Inc. submitted at the end of 2016 to build a port terminal has been temporarily voided, while the Supreme Court of Justice analyzes the case before issuing a definitive ruling.
The lack of tax incentives could be one of the reasons why no companies submitted bids in the tender for the concession of the port in Corozal in Panama.
The lack of bids in the tender for the concession of the construction and operation of a container port in Corozal West came as no surprise to some entrepreneurs in the maritime sector, who believe that lack of sufficient tax incentives could have influenced the decision of companies to not submit bids.The opposition that the project has generated and the lawsuits filed against it could also have weighed on the decision not to participate.
Panama risks losing out to regional competition in the logistics area if the project to develop a cargo port in the area of Corozal continues to be hindered.
From a statement issued by the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (CCIAP):
The Inter-American Development Bank has announced that it will provide a loan of $20 million to fund feasibility studies for a port in the Caribbean.
The funds provided by the entity will be used for studies needed to determine the characteristics of the area, the exact location and cost of building the infrastructure, as well as any possible environmental impact on the coast of Bluefields.
The Panama Canal Authority plans to publish conditions for the tender in August, after participants have completed a pre qualification process and consultation period.
Today March 11th is the date of receipt of proposals from companies interested in the construction and concession of the port. In November , the ACP announced that eleven companies had expressed interest in the project. Now it is hoped there will be at least four proposals so that there is an adequate level of competition with which to proceed with the tender.
A terminal in Bilwi, Puerto Cabezas, would streamline logistics of cargo which currently comes through the ports of Limon in Costa Rica and Cortés in Honduras.
If the plans of the National Port Company (EPN) are realised, the operator of the entire logistics system that involves moving goods through Nicaragua's northern Caribbean could significantly improve their times.
The Panama Canal Authority has been given the green light to start the process of prequalifying companies interested in bidding for the award of a container transshipment port in Corozal.
From a statement issued by the Panama Canal Authority:
The Board of Directors of the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has authorized the administration to convene a pre-qualification stage for companies interested in participating in the international tender for the concession of a container transshipment port in Corozal.
With the plans to build a highway between the Pacific and the Caribbean coast in mind, a proposal has been made to build a port in Bluefields, instead of the one planned in Monkey Point.
The Nicaraguan government announced that it has asked Taiwan to collaborate in order to finalize the project, and that the decision to change the location responds to the new road that will connect the Pacific and the Caribbean, precisely with the city of Bluefields.
A proposal has been made to develop a specialized Roll on-Roll off cargo terminal in the Pacific, to improve the management of vehicles and heavy equipment and create other opportunities for the automotive industry, such as automobile accessorization.
The proposal put forward by the Panama Canal Authority is to develop a specialized docking area for roll on- roll off ships, transporting vehicles to Panama, from where they are distributed to other markets. The aim is to promote the development of this type of cargo in Panama and lay the foundation for the development of other business lines that generate added value and chains. One of the activities that can be developed is dedicated to adding value to vehicles, called "accessorization".
Shanghai Haojun Investment & Management is interested in participating in the project to build a road between Puerto Armuelles and a complementary port on the Atlantic coast.
The Chinese company Shanghai Haojun Investment & Management Co. Ltd. has expressed interest in taking part in the project which currently has a funding agreement for a technical study for the development of an intermodal canal, a multipurpose port and modernization of the infrastructure at the port in Armuelles.
After overcoming several bureaucratic obstacles the grain terminal with capacity to accommodate PostPanamax vessels became operational in the Pacific port of Costa Rica.
From a statement issued by from the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT):
The new multipurpose dock at Caldera Port, has now been inaugurated, improving Costa Rica's competitiveness and international trade logistics, in addition to promoting development in the province of Puntarenas.
The ACP is preparing the prequalification process and negotiated tender for the design, construction, development and operation of a container port in the area of West Corozal.
The port will be developed on land owned by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), and will be done in two stages, which include "... A construction area of 2,081 linear feet of piers, patio and container structures such as offices and warehouses. "
The Varela administration has announced that a new port will be built in Armuelles, in the district of Baru, Chiriqui.
The project aims to improve the business connectivity of a region focused mainly on agricultural activities and promote the development of the tourism sector in the region.
Jorge Arango, Minister of Agricultural Development told Laestrella.com.pa that "...
Only two of the four companies pre-qualified so far by the Autonomous Executive Port Commission have requested the tender documentation to bid for works at the port.
Of the four companies invited to participate in the tender for the construction of Puerto La Union, two are European, one Chilean and one Filipino. Although the period to collect documents began on September 4, so far only two have applied for them.
Although the financial resources needed to modernize the port of Cortés are available through an IDB loan which has already been approved, lack of implementation is preventing work from starting.
The year 2014 had been set as the date when work would start on the modernization of the four main ports but the National Port Company (ENP by its initials in Spanish) has not been able to start and works are still paralyzed, despite having borrowed $135 million from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).