By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Ministry of Public Works and
Transport confirmed on Thursday,
that in order to expedite
attention to importers and
exporters, the APM container
terminal company, will move a
group of cargo ships to the docks
of the Port Administration Board
and Economic Development of the
Atlantic Slope, known as JAPDEVA
in Limon*.
The decision was made after a
meeting between representatives of
the government and directors of
APM Terminals, who agreed to
transfer part of the ship loading
and unloading work from April 10
to 22, 2019.
"We will organize the JAPDEVA
teams as soon as possible to
attend to the ships and that the
importers and exporters receive
the required service," said
Interim Transport Minister Olman
Elizondo.
The Ministry announced that it
will conduct an investigation into
the delays that APM Terminals has
had in attending ships.
The Ministry’s actions were in
response to complaints by
exporters about the delays in
landings.
As A.M. Costa Rica reported, the
Chamber of Exporters of Costa Rica
made a call to the government to
allow other ships to moor in the
port of Moín in the province of
Limon, which is attended by
JAPDEVA. The Chamber was
complaining about the losses to
Costa Rican producers by the
continued delays on shipping
services provided by APM
Terminals.
According to Laura Bonilla,
president of the Chamber, "The
export sector had a fall of 8
percent in the month of February
and this cannot be aggravated by
this type of situation."
"Situations such as those
presented at the Container
Terminal in Moín are very
sensitive for our international
trade due to the repercussions
that are generated in the delays
of full equipment with waiting
times until midday, payment of
extra costs that were not
contemplated, deterioration of the
perishable product, uncertainty,
changes in logistical aspects and
eventual breaches of contract with
international clients, "said
Bonilla.
The problems with the delay of
exports became worse with the
closure of Route #32, which caused
long rows trailers that blocked
the streets in Limón.
To try to solve that problem, the
Port Administration Board
announced emergency actions to
reduce traffic problems in the
city of Limón.
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The problem is
specific to the
recently inaugurated
export port APM
Terminals, which
could not receive
enough large
container trailers
to meet
demand.
The emergency measures
announced were:
- Suspended the repair
work on Route #32,
between San José and
Limón.
- APM Terminals must
report the reason for
delays in container
loads.
- Transfer part of the
ships to the other
port managed by
JAPDEVA.
To explain the reasons
for the delays,
Kenneth Waugh, general
manager of APM
Terminals, said that
the shipping companies
are giving inaccurate
information about the
amount of cargo they
are transporting,
which causes a
mismatch in the time
to be used in the
unloading of the
containers which
causes problems
synchronizing the
arrival of trailers.
In addition, the
company considered
that the closure of
Route #32 was the
reason for a large
number of trailers
drivers deciding to
advance the delivery
of the containers,
causing the arrival of
a larger number of
trailers than
expected.
To solve the delays,
the company announced
the hiring of more
workers from abroad to
expedite the port
operations.
APM Terminals
announced they are
working with six
cranes 24 hours a day,
to resolve delays in
port operations.
The inauguration of
APM Terminals Moín on
Feb 28, announced the
shipment of products
on transatlantic
routes to European and
Asian markets without
transshipment. The
project represented a
total investment of $1
billion and is built
on a 40-hectare
artificial island.
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Should
the government have
more agreements with
multinational
companies for national
development? We
would like to know
your thoughts on this
story. Send your
comments to: news@amcostarica.com
*Link
to reach the place
map.
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