Due to the imbalance in world trade flows, shipping lines have changed their routes and prefer to move empty containers to Asia, a situation that generates shortages and causes increases in freight rates and raw material prices.
In this scenario of new commercial reality, the operating costs of maritime freight have been impacted, since due to the restrictions imposed in several countries around the world, containers have been stranded.
Currently, transporting goods by sea between Central American countries can increase freight costs by at least 60% compared to the land option, which represents an obstacle to changing the way goods are transferred in the region.
As a result of the closure of the Penas Blancas customs crossing, on the border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua, some businessmen in the region had to resort to the sea route in order to deliver their orders.
The Uber technological platform, which in Central America is currently transporting people and food, is planning to expand its service offerings to the freight transport business.
Uber and Uber Eats, platforms for transporting people and delivering prepared food, respectively, are already operating in the countries of the region. However, the U.S. company's new bet for Latin America is to use Uber Freight to transport cargo.
The union of transporters has warned that if the increase in the fuel tax is approved, "the cost of transporting cargo to Guatemala will rise by $12.75."
On July a ferry could be traveling by sea between the two ports on a 16 hour journey, plus time spent in ports, with a base cost of $800.
The long announced ferry between Central American Pacific ports could be ready to start operations, according to a joint statement by Naviera Bajos del Odiel and the Government of Costa Rica.
The story of this sea route started in August 2013, when "... the Autonomous Executive Port Commission (CEPA) confirmed that at the end of November an agreement with the Spanish company Naviera del Odiel had been finalised for the start of ferry operations connecting the port of La Union to Puerto Corinto, in Nicaragua." This project never materialized, apparently because of unwillingness on the part of the government of Nicaragua.
An announcement has been made of the opening of a new daily nonstop flight for international freight traveling to and from San Jose International Airport.
From a press release issued by Fedex Express:
MIAMI (Florida) August 28, 2014 - FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and the company of the world's largest express transportation today announced the arrival on 4 August of the first FedEx cargo plane Boeing Express- 757F- to Costa Rica in order to provide a direct service for international shipments. Formerly served by smaller aircraft, the growing Costa Rican market is being leveraged with increased capacity and the best collection schedules in the market, with next day delivery to Miami and the rest of the United States.
Transport ministers have approved a document setting out traffic controls and a regional agreement on driving on roads with weights and dimensions for commercial vehicles.
The Minister of Public Works in El Salvador, Gerson Martinez, said "... it is a single manual for the entire region, including signs, symbols, (road) markings, because if each country has different signs, then it generates
Starting from May 15, rates will be raised on goods transported to the Far East, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and the East Coast of South America.
Beginning May 15, the Danish shipping company Maersk Line said its rates for the Far East (excluding Japan), the Middle East and the Sub Indian continent will see an overall increase of $500 per 20-foot container and $1,000 per container measuring 40 feet, 40 feet HC, and 45 feet of dry cargo.
Comprehensive services such as International Trade: Freight, Shipping, Ports and multimodal Logistics.
Organization that operates in Honduras
Phone: (504) 2504 9641 - (504) 2504 9640
The shipping company has announced a rise in service fees for transporting refrigerated containers from Central and South America and Africa.
In 2011, as result of the high prices of bunker fuel, the shipping company increased its fares for regular (dry) containers by 30%, on routes serving Latin America.
"'With a market share of 24%, refrigerated containers are an area in which we are, to put it mildly, overweight.
The high price of bunker fuel is requiring carriers to update their tariffs, increasing the costs for exporting and importing, affecting international trade.
The cost of sending goods from, say, Costa Rica to the United States has risen significantly due to increased bunker fuel prices, the price of which was quoted at the beginning of the week at $600 a barrel.
An increase of 24 cents per box for freight expenses has sent costs for shrimp producers in Honduras soaring.
An increase of 24 cents per kilometer for each box transported, approved by a legislative decree recently, will seriously impact the competitiveness of Honduran shrimp producers with respect to other regional countries, signaled
employers in the sector.
The air transport company has increased by 50% its cargo flight capacity to 19 weekly flights.
Guatemala, Nicaragua and Panama are three of the countries which receive large capacity UPS flights from Miami. UPS has decided to expand in response to increased demand experienced in Latin America.
The firm will use its Boeing 757 cargo plane, which will be replaced by a new B-767 aircraft, which is larger and hence has more capacity.