In Guatemala, different works are being built in Puerto Quetzal in a total area of 120 hectares distributed in land and maritime area, with a time to execute the work for 12 months.
The interactive platform "Construction in Central America", from CentralAmericaData's Business Intelligence Unit, provides an updated list of public and private construction projects that have submitted environmental impact studies (EIA) to the respective institutions in each country.
Between January and September 2019, in the national port system of Panama were mobilized 69 thousand metric tons of cargo, a figure 12% higher than that reported in the same period of 2018.
According to figures from the General Comptroller of the Republic only last September reported a 29% year-on-year increase in cargo movement, rising from 7 million metric tons in the ninth month of 2018 to 9.1 million metric tons in the same period of 2019.
Panamanian businessmen warn that the bills advancing in the National Assembly concerning health and safety standards for work in ports, put at risk the competitiveness of the country.
The National Assembly approved in first debate the bill number 92, "which creates the law on health and safety in port works in the Republic of Panama". Another one that also surpassed the first discussion was number 93 "that dictates norms for the protection of the port worker."
After investing $13.2 million in the expansion of the container yard and the commissioning of two cranes, the storage capacity of the Salvadoran maritime terminal increased by 30%.
Directors of the Executive Autonomous Port Commission (CEPA) stated that $3.2 million was invested in the expansion of the container yard and another $10 million was invested in the commissioning of the two new cranes with a lifting capacity of 150 metric tons.
In Guatemala, Mecatronica S.A. was awarded the contract to supply 20 front loaders type Reach Stacker, which will be used by the National Port Company Santo Tomás de Castilla for stacking containers.
For the public tender in question, the companies that presented their proposals were Mecatronica S.A., whose amount was $20.4 million, Mantenimiento e Instalaciones Mecánicas S.A., with a proposal of $14.2 million, Corporación General de Tractores S.A., for $11.1 million, and Distribuidora Agrícola for $8.9 million.
Delays in the attention of containers in the terminal in charge of APM Terminals, congestion in the yards, cuts in the electrical flow and the computer system, are some of the complaints of the exporting sector of Costa Rica.
Complaints of delays in the port in Limon and in charge of APM Terminals are not new, because in early April, five weeks after the start of operations of the Moin Container Terminal (TCM), reported delays of at least 25 hours of work, which was due, according to the authorities, to the demarcation work of the road between San Jose and Limon.
The National Port Company Santo Tomás de Castilla de Guatemala tenders the placement of containment barriers to tankers docked at the dock of the company's premises.
Guatemala Government Purchase 10264922:
"Service of placing containment barriers to tankers moored at the dock of the national port company Santo Tomás de Castilla. The service object of this tender will be provided at: the berth designated for the provision of the service of loading and unloading of liquid bulk of the Company.
To solve the congestion problem affecting Guatemala's port network, it is estimated that at least $133 million needs to be invested to improve the operations of current terminals.
The average standard for port operation is on average 50%, however, currently the country is reaching occupancy limits above 60%, which means that they are reaching congested points that make them less efficient.
The closure of route 32 has generated delays in the maritime terminal of Costa Rica, delaying the entry of carriers to leave or withdraw cargo.
Five weeks after the start of operations of the Moin Container Terminal (TCM), the port in the Pacific in charge of APM Terminals, reports delays of at least 25 hours of work, which is due, according to the authorities, to the work of demarcation of the road between San Jose and Limon.
It is expected that in November of this year the construction of the new dock 2A in the bay of Puerto Cortés, in Honduras, which will serve for the export of stone aggregates to the U.S., will be completed.
Directors of Grupo Avanza, the company in charge of the project valued at $22 million, informed that the works have already begun and estimate that in the first 15 days of November the work will be completed.
From 26 to 30 August, representatives of the port industry of Central America and the Dominican Republic will meet in Antigua Guatemala to discuss innovation, trends and facilitation of international trade.
From the National Port Commission of Guatemala' s press release:
Guatemala has become the venue for one of the most important port events in Central America: the 41st Port Meeting of the Central American Isthmus, better known by its acronym REPICA.
In the first nine months of 2018, eight environmental impact studies were presented to perform dredging works and new constructions in different port terminals in the region, with a $75 million estimated investment.
The interactive platform "Construction in Central America", compiled by the Business Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData, includes an up to date list of public and private construction projects for which environmental impact studies (EIA) were submitted to the respective institutions of each country.
Two multipurpose cranes with the capacity to mobilize 600 tons will begin operating at Guatemala's maritime terminal on December 12th.
Representatives of the Ministry of Communications informed that the new cranes of Operadora Logística de Guatemala, S.A., the company that won the tender to provide the service, have a $6 million cost each.
Hector Recinos, vice minister of Communications in charge of ports and airports, said to Prensalibre.com that "... The crane service operations are going to be reactivated and with the shipping agents the itineraries to receive ships with containerized goods have already been programmed."
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.
In the last five years, the Honduran maritime terminal has gone from moving 20 to 40 containers per hour, and the average service time per truck has fallen from 120 to 40 minutes.
According to the representatives of the Central American Port Operator (PPO), the concessionaire of the maritime terminal since 2013, have had to make investments in different areas of the port to increase its operational capabilities.