Mandatory use of low-sulfur fuel by ships, shortage of containers and priority for medical supplies and vaccines will push up sea and air freight costs.
The protests in Costa Rica, which affect vehicle circulation in the country and border crossings, will have a short-term impact on intraregional trade and cargo transport costs.
In order to access the $1.75 billion credit that it intends to request from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Costa Rican government proposed to tax financial transactions, raise the tax on the profits of companies and individuals, and increase the tax on real estate.
In a transaction valued at around $272 million, German company Delivery Hero acquired Glovo's operations in eight Latin American countries, including Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, Panama and the Dominican Republic.
Delivery Hero strengthens its position in Latin America, adding Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Honduras and Guatemala to its existing presence, and further expanding its existing operations in Argentina, Panama and the Dominican Republic, the German business group reported.
From three to five days, the time that Costa Rican carriers have available to stay in Nicaraguan territory, to unload goods or for regional transit, was increased.
After several days of tension generated by the restrictions imposed by Costa Rica on the transport of cargo from neighboring countries, Central American authorities reached an agreement and opened the way at the border of Penas Blancas.
Although the region's markets are not yet facing a scenario of shortage of raw materials or products, the restrictions imposed on freight transport are destroying the regional logistics chain.
Given this scenario of health crisis, the free transit of goods in Central America has been interrupted in recent weeks.
The monitoring of trucks by GPS to supervise the scheduled routes and the time of the carrier in the country, is the proposal of the Costa Rican authorities so that the cargo transport units of Central America can enter their territory.
After Costa Rica, with the intention of mitigating the spread of the covid-19, decreed restrictions on cargo transport units entering its territory, the Nicaraguan government ordered the closure of the Peñas Blancas border post.
In order to mitigate the spread of the covid-19, the government decided that as of May 18, only transporters that make direct transit from border to border will enter Costa Rican territory, whose units must be subject to police surveillance.
On 15 May, President Carlos Alvarado issued two decrees aimed at keeping the number of foreign transporters in the country as low as possible, reported the Costa Rican presidency.
Hugo App, a platform for home delivery services, is one of the companies that accelerated its growth due to the mobility restrictions that have been decreed in the countries of the region because of the health crisis.
In order to contain the spread of covid-19, governments in Central America have decreed mandatory quarantines and restricted the movement of consumers at certain times. Faced with this new commercial reality, companies dedicated to home delivery of products have increased their income considerably.
After Nicaraguan authorities imposed in their customs a $50 payment to each cargo vehicle transiting through their territory, Costa Rica requested a meeting to review the issue.
On March 15 of this year, Nicaraguan authorities began to collect a customstax on the transportation of cargo in transit or with final destination in the country, which consists of the payment of $50 for each transport unit of goods that passes through land customs.
The long-awaited railway connection between the two countries depends on the rehabilitation of the Doctor Rodolfo Robles bridge in Ayutla, San Marcos, which would be done this year.
According to the Guatemalan Ministry of Communications, under current conditions the bridge cannot support the load of a locomotive and using that section would be a high risk.
A new information platform aims to identify the main disadvantages faced by companies that transport goods through the region in customs and paperwork management.
The Central American Economic Integration Secretariat (Sieca) presented the Trade Incidences Platform, which will compile information on the disadvantages that companies have in the areas of customs, transport, sanitary procedures, phytosanitary, import or export.
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.
Guatemalan business leaders have denounced the fact that due to the crisis in Nicaragua that is now affecting the region, the cost of transporting goods by sea has increased between 30% and 40%.
Representatives from the Chamber of Industry in Guatemala (CIG) and the Guatemalan Chamber of Food and Beverages (CGAB), reported that due to the Nicaraguan crisis which started in mid-April and has deepened with every week that has passed, entrepreneurs have reported increases in their transportation costs caused by the difficulty of traveling through the territory under conflict.
Recognized Brazilian company of backhoe loaders, telescopic, articulated and other types of cranes looking for companies interested in representing the brand and distributing their machinery in Central America and Mexico. The company manufactures and sells telescopic,...