The works include the construction of 350 additional meters of quay, dredging the channel to obtain a depth of 14.5 meters and the implementation of two new super post Panamax gantry cranes.
From a statement issued by the President of Honduras:
Puerto Cortes, 12 January.The construction of container quay number six in Puerto Cortes was launched today by President Juan Orlando Hernández with the laying of the foundation stone for this work, which will cost 148 million dollars, in a first stage.
The operator of Puerto Caldera in Costa Rica, has hired a French-Colombian consortium for the construction of a multipurpose port in the Gulf of Uraba, adjacent to the border with Panama, with an investment of $580 million.
PIO SAS, a holding company dedicated among other sectors to the development, implementation and management of services for port infrastructure and logistics, has announced that the consortium Sapeim from France and Termotecnica Coindustrial S.A. from Colombia, is the preferred contractor for the stage of Engineering, Procurement, and construction (EPC) of Puerto Antioquia, which will be the closest Colombian port to the Panama canal and the closest to Medellin and Bogota.
Assigning container inspections to a "green channel" for importers with a good record and creating a one-stop shop to streamline procedures is part of what has been proposed to reduce congestion at the port.
Constant complaints over problems and delays faced by entrepreneurs in the Honduran port terminal have led the government to prepare a series of measures to reduce container inspection times and streamline processes to export or import goods through the port.See: "Customs Problems Arise in Puerto Cortes Again".
Honduran businessmen have denounced the economic losses caused by delays in reviewing containers and are demanding more agility in customs procedures at the port.
The commercial sector is one of the most affected by the slowness of the customs procedures which must be carried out at Puerto Cortes.Jorge Faraj, president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industries of Cortés, told Laprensa.hn that"...If the problem is not resolved and if they do not get the merchandise out in time in the coming days of November, businesses will miss out on Christmas sales and that will be a big blow to the economy'."
Importers have denounced the fact that they are having to pay up to $5,000 for each container for inspections and the extra time that they have to wait in the Salvadoran terminal.
Companies affiliated with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Cortes (CCIC) report that their containers are spending up to 30 consecutive days in detention in the Salvadoran port of Acajutla, causing delays in shipments of merchandise and "...
The ACP has approved the documents to tender in ten days a concession to one of the prequalified companies; PSA International Ltd, Terminal Link, Terminal Investments Limited and APM Terminals.
From a statement issued by the Panama Canal Authority:
The Board of Directors of the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) approved the request for proposal documents and authorized the admininstrators to continue with the approval process, prior to tendering the concession of the Port of Corozal with the shortlisted companies.
The concessionaire said it will invest between $150 million in the first phase of the project, building an additional 350 meters of quays and acquiring two super-post-Panamax cranes.
And in a second phase Operadora Portuaria Central (OPC) plans to invest between $100 and $130 million in the construction of 200 meters of quay with a depth of 14 meters to allow the passage of larger ships, four more Super postpanamax cranes, and 10 hectares of container yard.The first phase could start in early 2017 and could be ready in 2018, said Valmir Araujo, senior commercial manager of the OPC.
The concessionaire of the Honduran terminal plans to invest $40 million this year in repair of dock 5, repaving works, and construction of a new logistics area.
With the construction of a new logistics zone in the terminal the concessionaire Operadora Portuaria Centroamericana (OPC) aims to improve the service for loading and unloading of merchandise and "... give better services to users."
The global relevance of companies seeking the award of a third port for container ships in the Pacific is a clear sign of the importance of Panama as maritime and logistics hub.
The companies pre-qualified to participate in the tender for the concession of a new port in Corozal are subsidiaries of the largest shipping companies such as Maersk-Denmark, MSC-Italy and CMA-CGM-France or are direct port operators, in this case the most important in the world, PSA from Singapore.
Clearing a container through customs can take up to 14 days and the extra costs for surcharges which apply after a third day can exceed $600.
An article on Laprensa.hn reports that "...Of those 14 days, only about 11 will be spent waiting, first for the cargo to be inspected and after for a diagnosis to be made, or because of the delay added due to days when customs officers from the now liquidated Executive Directorate of Revenue ( DEI) have taken off in order to migrate to the Revenue Management System (SAR). "
The Honduran investment promotion office has sent a letter of invitation to entrepreneurs who lost their tax exemptions in Guatemala.
Honduras is looking to attract investment from Guatemala citing two advantages over its competitors: tax incentives on exports and port infrastructure in the Caribbean.
The person responsible for promoting foreign investment in Honduras, Vilma Sierra, sent a letter of invitation to the businessmen who lost their tax exemptions in Guatemala. The letter sent alarm bells ringing for Guatemalan union leaders because of the resemblance they have with the Honduran market, and the tax incentives they have lost and poor port infrastructure available.
The cost and time to transport containers at the terminal are not competitive with other ports in Central America.
While moving a container in Puerto Cortés costs about $2,308, other ports in the region charge more competitive rates, such as Manzanillo, Panama ($665), Quetzal, Guatemala ($977), Limon, Costa Rica ($1,020), Acajutla , El Salvador ($1,040), Corinto, Nicaragua ($1,140), and Santo Tomas, Guatemala ($1,450).
It is not only the port of Corozal which needs immediate promotion, there is also an urgent need to keep building port infrastructure in order to take advantage of the Canal expansion.
EDITORIAL
The opinion of entrepreneurs in the logistics sector is unanimous: the forthcoming opening of the new and expanded Panama Canal locks should be the starting point for consolidating Panama as a major logistics hub for the hemisphere.
The new 340 meters quay that the concessionaire Colon Container Terminal has started to operate has capacity to accommodate up to 22 rows of vessels.
The dock required an investment of $150 million and has increased port capacity by 500 thousand TEUs, bringing the total capacity of the port to 2 million TEUs.
A statement from the Presidency of Panama states that "...
An announcement has been made that in 2016 an integrated system will be used to to carry out fiscal, safety and phytosanitary controls in a single revision.
The Tax Authority will be responsible for deciding the date of the launch of the new system, which will integrate phytosanitary controls, customs and security in the container terminal of Puerto Quetzal.