November/December – DR/LA
Dredging Expected at Peru’s Salaverry Port Project
The Peruvian government is expected to award a contract to improve the infrastructure of the port of Salaverry located north of the capital city of Lima a government official said in early October. The move is part of a country’s effort to make its ports more competitive. The Peruvian government said it is willing to accept a proposal by a private operator to assume the port if no competing projects are proposed by the end of October or early November. “We expect the Peruvian ports will compete with (other) global ports … in terms of agriculture (products) exports” said Bruno Giuffra Monteverde the country’s Minister of Transports and Communications. Expected improvement works at the port of Salaverry include permanent dredging to keep it operational all year long. The port hasn’t been used all the time but just in “certain periods” the minister recognized. Peru expects to build a new loading dock at the local port for mineral products as a way to draw larger vessels while reducing costs. The Peruvian government said the ports of Chimbote and Marcona should also be tendered for the private initiative.
Peru expects dredging at local port of Salaverry. Photo: Peruvian Ministry of Transports
MO Holds World Maritime Day Event in Panama
In early October the International Maritime Organization (IMO) held its World Maritime Day Parallel Event in Panama City Panama as part of the 100th anniversary of the International Ship Registry it said in a press release. The event was attended by officials from Panama including the country’s president Juan Carlos Varela IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim Panama Minister of Maritime Affairs Jorge Barakat delegates of the 172 Member States representatives from various sectors of the international maritime segment as well as several Ministers and Maritime Authorities of Asia Africa Europe and America. “We have joined efforts to consolidate our nation as a maritime logistics country creating a service platform that integrates different government plans programs and dialogues in coordination with the private sector which have been recognized through the distinction we receive today from the IMO” Panama’s president Varela said. Barakat added Panama has been a strategic ally and recognized the importance of maritime transport for the country to achieve free trade flow. “Precisely all the threats that affect this industry represent a danger for the very subsistence of humanity; therefore Panama pays attention to problems such as pollution of the marine environment climate change global warming acidification of the oceans and increasing its level which must be treated with priority” Barakat said. “Optimum and efficient port infrastructure the development and strengthening of intermodal connections and nation-wide connections can boost and support the growing economy by promoting the maritime service. Here in Panama I see that they are especially aware of this of the benefits that investment in maritime infrastructure can bring to a country” IMO’s Secretary-General Kitack Lim said.
Officials Attend IMO’s World Maritime Day Parallel
Event in Panama City Panama
Brazil’s Port of Pecem Resumes Expansion Works
Expansion works at Brazil’s port of Pecem in the state of Ceara resumed in the first half of October following a halt initiated on September 4. Marquise/Iva the infrastructure consortium responsible for the expansion works has been owed BRL 40 million from the Ceara state since February of this year. The lack of payment was reportedly the reason for work stoppage. The Ceara state is expected to negotiate delayed payments. A payment was expected for September but no deal was reached at the time. Expansion works at the port of Pecem are expected to be completed by July 2018. The project has slowly advanced this year. In November 2016 only 81 percent of the expansion works at the facility were completed. As of October the project is 85 percent complete. Expansion works include new berths 7 8 and 9 which are expected to receive cargo ships and container carriers. The port expects to receive larger vessels including the Panamax the Post Panamax as well as Ultra Large Container Vessels. The Port of Pecem has six working berths: two at its first pier two in the second and an additional two at its Multiple Utilities Terminal (TMUT) reaching up an average depth of 18 meters (59 feet).
Bidders Dispute Dredging at Argentina’s Port of Bahia Blanca
Three companies have bid to dredge Argentina’s port of Bahia Blanca in the province of Buenos Aires local port authority Autoridad Portuaria del Puerto de Bahia Blanca said. The Argentinian subsidiary of China Communications and Construction Company Limited as well as a joint venture (JV) made up of Boskalis International and Compania Sudamericana de Dragados S.A have offered a deal for the maintenance dredging project. A third JV made up of Dredging International N.V Van Oord Dredging and Pentamar SA had also bid for the tender. The local port authority tried to tender the $65 million US dredging project in September 6 this year but it was declared void as there was no valid offer for the project. It aims to perform maintenance dredging at the access channel of the Bahia Blanca port system for six years.
Bidders dispute the maintenance dredging project at Argentina’s port of Bahia Blanca.
AMP Kicks Offs Contruction at new Amador Cruise Port; Jan De Nul to Complete Dredging and Land Reclamation
On October 18 the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) held a kick-off ceremony for the construction of the new Amador Cruise Port. A complete new cruise terminal at the Pacific Side of Panama will be built over the next 18 months.
The design and construction of the Amador cruise terminal at Perico Island was formally awarded by the AMP to the consortium Cruceros del Pacifico integrated by Jan De Nul Panama SA and China Harbour Engineering Company. This new cruise terminal will have two docks in which two cruise ships with a capacity of up to five thousand passengers each (Oasis class) can berth simultaneously.
As a member of the consortium Cruceros del Pacifico Jan De Nul Panama SA will take care of all dredging and land reclamation works as required for the construction and operation of the terminal. This includes dredging the berth pocket turning basin and access channel with a backhoe dredge and trailing suction hopper dredge. A trailing suction hopper dredge will also be deployed to dredge and transport sand from a borrow area and reclaim an area of 8.3 hectares (20.5 acres) for the construction of all land based facilities.
“This infrastructure project is key to boost Panama’s economic development” Juan Carlos Varela president of the Republic of Panama said. “It will generate a thousand direct jobs and 1800 indirect jobs during its construction phase as well as permanent employees for the operation of the terminal. All this will have a positive impact on the Panamanian economy and on the homes of each of those workers who will be part of this great work.”
The Panama Maritime Authority held a kick-off ceremony
for the start of work on Amador Cruise Port. This
rendering shows the new port which is expected to be
built over the next 18 months
