In order to prevent drug trafficking, as of February 8, Costa Rica's General Directorate of Customs defined that all containers carrying fresh, organic pineapple and by-products of this fruit will be scanned by the Port Operator APM Terminals Moín.
Dried and frozen pineapple, canned preserves, compotes, jellies, jams, pineapple puree or paste, juices, concentrates and pasteurized products are the sub products that will also be subject to these revisions.
In Costa Rica, exporters insist that rates be renegotiated at the Moin Container Terminal, since currently the cost of moving a container at that terminal exceeds by about $207 what was paid at the Japdeva docks.
At the request of the export union, the Alvarado administration announced that it will negotiate with APM Terminals, a possible reduction in rates currently charged for loading and unloading of containers.
From the Cadexco statement:
San Jose, December 19, 2019. As representatives of the export sector, we see with positivism this great step taken by the Government authorities to negotiate the current rates of the Container Terminal of Moin (TCM), since a request led by the Chamber of Exporters of Costa Rica (CADEXCO) is being considered in conjunction with other business chambers, which was delivered to the President of the Republic.
Costa Rican authorities announced they plan to implement a Non-Intrusive Inspection System for the inspection of containers, which will be held on September 30 with companies interested in developing it.
This system will consist of a remote inspection center (CIR), scanners, cameras reading plates and container numbers, scales, system of anticipated risk and radio frequency antennas (RFID), informed the Ministry of Finance in a statement.From the Ministry of Finance statement:
The National Customs Service began with the implementation of 23,500 radio frequency devices through electronic tags for the identification and control of national containers.
The electronic tags (TAG) will be installed on the windshield of the vehicle, so that radio waves will transmit data from the transport unit to a computer program installed on a platform of the Secretariat of Central American Economic Integration (SIECA), informed the Ministry of Finance.
The operator of the port of Limón in Costa Rica, is seeking to diversify its business focusing on conventional cargo handling, in order to compensate for the losses it will face when APM Terminals 's container port comes into operation.
Serving as port of departure for more Nicaraguan exporters and transporting more iron and vehicles are two of the objectives that make up the strategy envisioned by Japdeva, the concessionaire of the port of Moín, in Limón, which they intend to follow over the next few years.
With $40 million from the state insurer, the Costa Rican Railway Institute could bring back into issue the railway line from Río Frío de Sarapiquí to the port of Limón.
Although the efficiency in the planning and execution of projects is not something that Instituto Costarricense de Ferrocarriles is famous for, the initiative to restore the railroad and reimplement the container transport service from the port of Limón to Río Frio could, if it finally materializes, help improve the damaged reputation of the state run railway company.
In the first eight months of the year in Costa Rica, the theft of 107 containers was reported, generating losses of about $5.7 million for the business sector.
Theft of vans and containers in Costa Rica has been increasing in recent years.Between January and September of this year, 16 more thefts were reported than in the same period in 2016.
The opening of the container terminal that is being built by APM Terminals in Limón will occur in February 2019, and not in January 2018, as originally planned.
Just weeks after APM Terminals authorities announced that the work was to be delayed until mid-2018, they have now announced that the problems that arose during the construction process are even bigger, and will result in a delay of more than one year from the date initially agreed.
Due to several constructive defects, the Dutch company APM Terminals anticipates that the opening of the container terminal will take place in June 2018 and not in January, as originally planned.
According to authorities of the concessionaire, among the inconveniences that have occurred in the process of constructing the port terminal are poor compaction of the surface of the 40 hectare artificial island, and damages in 20 meters of the breakwater, among other things.APM Terminals estimates that the work will be completed in June 2018, and not on January 18, as indicated in the contract.
The latest discovery of drugs in a container of Costa Rican heart of palms which was destined for Europe, brings back to the table the problem of the lack of controls in customs offices.
The problem also centers around the fact that the different authorities contradict each other when it comes to explaining who carries out the processes for the inspecting containers entering and leaving the country and how.
The decree that reduces the timeframe for foreign cargo transport in the country, from 6 to 3 months, could lead to an increase in logistics costs for exporters and importers.
The decree by the government that aimed to eliminate the unfair competition that Costa Rican carriers say was caused by permitting six month stays for transportation trucks from neighboring countries could solve the problem, but could come very close to causing others for the logistics and foreign trade sector.
The regulations in force for Central America allow two methods of certifying the weight of cargo moving through ports in the region.
The new regulations in force since July 1 oblige entities transporting containerized cargo by sea tocertify its weight under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (Solas). The problem cited by exporters is the increase this will have on costs, in addition to infrastructure problems faced in some ports in the region.
Another case of drugs found in cargo which came from Costa Rica highlights the imperative need to improve controls and implement the use of scanners at export ports.
EDITORIAL
How many more drugs have to be found in commercial export cargo before the authorities in Costa Rica put into operation the scanners which were donated by the Chinese government eight years ago?
In a Coca Cola factory in France 370 kilos of cocaine were discovered hidden in a shipment of orange juice from Costa Rica.
The event has brought back to the table discussion in Costa Rica on the issue of implementation of controls to prevent export cargos from being used for drug smuggling to Europe and the United States, the main destinations of Costa Rica's foreign trade.