Costa Rica’s Supreme Court has ruled in favour of the government and APM Terminals in an appeal filed by the port workers union against the 33-year concession contract for the new Moin Container Terminal (TCM) in Limon on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica.
Paul Gallie, managing director of APM Terminals for Central America, said the project will promote the country´s global competitiveness and the socioeconomic development of the province of Limón.
“The TCM will be a world class, modern, safe and efficient terminal operating under international standards and procedures, designed to boost Costa Rica´s international trade by taking full advantage of the economy of scale provided by the new-Panamax container vessels of up to 13,500 containers, vessels of up to five times larger than those which can be serviced in the country today,” Gallie said.
Having secured the concession to build and operate the port in 2011, the Dutch firm was due to begin construction in 2013 but the project has been beset by delays caused by environmental concerns and legal challenges as to its validity. Gallie said the scheme is waiting for final approval of its environmental licence, which he hopes will be in place by the end of October.
APM Terminals was contracted by the state and port authority, Japdeva, for the design, finance, construction, operation and maintenance of the new Moin Container Terminal. The project, which is designed with a surface area of 80ha, 500m off the coast of Moin, incorporates 1,500m of berth, 9 STS gantry cranes and 39 yard cranes, in addition to a 2.2km breakwater, allowing for operation 24 hours per day, seven days a week, 365 days a year operation. It will be wholly owned by the state of Costa Rica.
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