APMT seals the deal for Costa Rica terminal

APMT was contracted by the Costa Rican State and port authority, JAPDEVA, to take on the project. The new terminal is designed with a surface area of 80 hectares, 500m off the coast of Moin, 1,500m of berth, nine STS gantry cranes and 39 yard cranes, in addition to a 2.2km breakwater, allowing 24/7, 365-days-a-year operation.

Silvia Gamboa, sustainability and environment manager, APMT Moin, told Port Strategy: “This is a challenging 33-year project, of which we are in the first phase. It will have huge implications for Limón, it will promote socio-economic growth and when the project is completed, will handle 80% of cargo exports for Costa Rica.”

“Not only this, it will be a huge leap for the country’s economy. The new specialised container terminal will allow us to service larger vessels,” she added.

The environmental management plan for the new Greenfield development involves dredging, land reclamation, waste and noise mitigation.

Although the terminal will be built on wetland famed for its bio-diversity, APMT is taking an integrated environmental approach to the project,” Ms Gamboa said.

The container terminal operator is working towards managing port activities for the long-term and is creating a turtle conservation programme, which will begin with construction in 2015.

The TCM is a key component of JAPDEVA’s master plan to modernise the Caribbean port complex, including a cruise ship terminal, a general cargo terminal and the expansion of the petroleum terminal, which is already underway.

In September, APMT delivered the final extensive information annex to environmental agency, SETENA, which is expected to give its final ruling for the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment process by the end of this month.