COSTA RICA NEWS – Ready, but unable to operate due to political red tape, the new dock at the Caldera port, in Puntarenas, was inaugurated Thursday, the first port in the country with the ability to handle Panamax ships.
At a depth of 13 metres and a length of 180 metres, the dock can accommodate ships that can, on average, load up to 8.000 containers. Up to now, the maximum sized ships were of 1.800 containers.
Manuel Parody D’echeona, president of the Sociedad Portuaria de Caldera (SPC), the Colombian – Costa Rican consortium that has been managing the Caldera port since 2006, said the new infrastructure will bring significant savings to the country.
Hopefully these savings will be passed on to the consumers in the way of lower prices for goods.
Related: The delay in appointing the INCOP president stalled the dock operation since last November.
The dock in operation means less time for ships waiting at sea, which can run up to US$30.000 a day. Some ships have been reported to have waited up 25 days.
The Caldera port receives on average about a dozen grain shipments and 8 container ships monthly.
