The Dutch company Van Oord - Bam will be in charge of dredging about 220 thousand cubic meters of sand and silt in the port terminal of Moín in Limón, Costa Rica.
In order to allow the transit of ships with larger drafts, the Port Administration and Economic Development Board of the Atlantic Coast (Japdeva), signed a contract for the dredging work, which will take about three months and should be done at the same time as the operation of the port terminal.
The union of shipowners and steam ship agents in Costa Rica has expressed its opposition to the decision by Japdeva to close one of the berths in Puerto Moin for two months.
The National Chamber of Shipowners and Steamship Agents (NAVE), have questioned Japdeva's decision to close one of the berths between November 7 and January 31, arguing that it is"...
Although the strike was declared illegal by the Labour Court of Costa Rica, the union has rejected the government's proposal which promised marketing efforts at the ports in conflict.
Unionists remain steadfast in their rejection of the concession contract clause which states that the terminal operated by APM will be the exclusive operator of specialized container ships.
Union members went on strike indefinitely in the port terminals of Moin and Limon, through which pass 80% of international trade by the country and the region.
Business leaders from various productive sectors reported losses caused by the strike, while managers of port administration are looking for alternative labour in order to restart the loading and unloading.
APM Terminals will have until October to comply with the requirements and outstanding permits to begin construction of the container port in the Costa Rican Caribbean.
Through a consensus among the three parties (Japdeva, National Concessions Council and APM Terminals) it has been agreed to extend for a period of three months the suspension agreed last April.
Despite the new president having reaffirmed his government's commitment to the project at Moin to be run by the Dutch company APM Terminal, his own lawmakers are supporting the formation of a committee to re-analyze the concession contract.
While President Luis Guillermo Solis is touring the United States looking for investors and providing legal certainty to foreign companies, inside the country space is still being given to obviously bias obstructionism on the part of port official unions. Now it is the sphere of the Legislature where a petition will be filed in an attempt to halt the project.
The Presidential candidate Luis Guillermo Solis has promised to respect the contract with the Dutch company APM for the construction of a new container dock at Moin.
The likely winner of the presidential election has backtracked on his campaign ads which stated he would "review the ports concession contracts."
During a meeting with members of the Costa Rican Coalition for Development Initiatives (Cinde), Luis Guillermo Solís, presidential candidate of the Citizen Action Party (PAC), said that a new government would respect the contract that was signed two years ago with the Dutch firm APM Terminals to build a new container dock in Moin, Limón, with an investment of $1 billion.
Excessive paperwork is delaying investments in the country's ports, while authorities blame each other for the problems.
Planned investments in the ports of Limón, Puntarenas and Caldera have been slowed by excessive paperwork and the lack of accountability of the authorities, who blame each other for the delays.
2 years ago the port of Moin halted a million dollar purchase of equipment.
Two mobile scanners for inspecting containers, with a value of $6 million, have been abandoned and left to deteriorate outside for three years.
Now the manufacturer, the Chinese company Nuctech, will be responsible for repairing and maintaining the two X-ray machines which are valued at $6 million and were donated by their Government and which have been damaged after being abandoned for three years.
Administrators of Costa Rica's Caribbean ports have announced less vessel traffic, increased cargo movement and closing 2012 without profits but also without any losses.
According to an article in Nacion.com 2011 up to September Japdeva attended to 1792 merchant ships, unlike in 2012, which reported a decline of 8.25%, with a total of 1,644 ships served.
Two separate packages of $30 and $40 million will allow for the modernization of outdated equipment and facilities at Costa Rica’s main port.
Elfinancierocr.com reports that the $30 million package "is intended for the purchase of a Portal Crane, two tugs, container stackers (reach stalkers) and a pilot ship. The equipment will be acquired through a tender process with funding that Japdeva has already advanced.
The Costa Rican government is seeking funds for the modernization of the port terminal in Limón.
The Executive has submitted to the Legislative Assembly a request to sign a loan for modernization works at the terminal.
According to the projections by the Ministry of Finance, investment for next year would be around $8 million, $24 million in 2014 and the remaining $8 million would be disbursed in 2015.
Lack of adequate infrastructure does not allow the demand for sea cargo to be met, increasing associated costs.
The chief executive of the Costa Rican Institute for Pacific Ports (INCOP in Spanish) notes that while in the port of Caldera container movements increased by 17% in 2011 compared to 2010, delay going back years in the construction of a bulk loading pier is an obstacle to being able to satisfy cargo requirements in terms of time and fees.
Costa Rica is not obligated to compensate the concession holder APM Terminals if the minimum load volumes estimated in the contract are not met.
An article in Nacion.com reports that Carolina Murillo Alvarez, an economist at the Regulatory Authority for Public Services (Aresep), "said that the State is not required to indemnify APM Terminals (concessionaire of the docks), if the estimated minimum load volumes in the contract are not reached."
In Costa Rica a court ruling has denied an appeal lodged by the users of the ports of Limon, against the increase enacted last March.
In the case of the appeal lodged by the National Chamber of Steamship Owners and Agents, the National Chamber of Banana Companies, the National Chamber of Pineapple Producers and Exporters and the Exporters Chamber of Costa Rica, the Constitutional Court ruled that regarding setting the new rates.