|
Limón Port Project Would Provide
Increase in National Capacity
A us$300 million to us$500
million port project on Costa
Rica's Atlantic coast would
provide a 28-fold increase in
national capacity, the Spanish
daily Prensa Libre quoted port
authority Japdeva president
Walter Robinson as saying.
The project's goal is to
modernize and integrate the
existing docks of Moín and Limón
with a new port, creating a
megaport for transboarding and
logistics.
This would increase Costa Rica's
annual port capacity to 2
million TEUs, compared to the
current 70,000 TEUs, said
Robinson.
Robinson expects a 20-fold
capacity increase at the docks
themselves as a result of
modernizations.
In order to do this, he
underscored the need to solicit
bids from companies to carry out
work on the docks, a plan
opposed by Japdeva's labor union
Sintrajap.
The central government, along
with the inter-institutional
coordinating ministry, and Limón
social organizations are slated
to meet by end-February to
discuss Sintrajap's
counterproposal to the project.
Some usS$70 million would be
needed over the next four to
five years to modernize existing
docks, with ¢5 billion colones
(us$9.7 million) set aside for
equipment upgrades in 2007,
Robinson said.
Robinson also confirmed the need
to build one or two entirely new
ports.
Spanish port company Sociedad
Portuaria de Santander has
offered to develop studies and
contribute to the concession
process for construction of an
additional port.
The port is expected to be
launched for concession in 2008
and would start operating in
2015.
|
|
