Constitutional Court dismisses appeal against Moín mega-terminal

(ICR archive)

October 13^th, 2014 (InsideCostaRica.com) The judges of Costa Rica’s Constitutional Court have dismissed an appeal against the new Moin Container Terminal filed by the port workers’ union known as Sintrajap, one of the few remaining hurdles before construction can begin on the project.

APM Terminals, the Dutch firm that has been contracted to design, finance, build and operate the port, welcomed the decision.

Sintrajap had claimed in its appeal that the concession would create an “illegal monopoly” giving APM Terminals the exclusive right to load and unload containers arriving in Limon.  The appeal was the last legal alternative available to Sintrajap in its attempts to stop the project.

The initial concession is for 33 years, with an initial investment of at least $1 billion and the creation of some 400 jobs.

Paul Gallie of APM Terminals said the project would boost Costa Rica’s international trade and increase the country’s competitiveness by providing modern facilities that can handle new “Panamax” class container vessels of up to 13,500 containers, up to five times larger than those that can be serviced in the country presently.

APM obtained the concession to build and operate the port in 2011 and was due to begin construction last year, but the project has faced several legal challenges.

Speaking from Guanacaste, President Luis Guillermo Solis expressed his satisfaction with the Constitutional Court’s decision to reporters.