Finally, a bid for Manta port concession

As previously reported in Port Strategy, attempts by Ecuador’s Minister of Transport to extend the bidding deadline by a further 60 days had prompted Agunsa to announce it would quit the process, which resulted in the country’s president sacking the minister.

In a curious twist, two days prior to the bidding deadline, China’s Beijing West Asia & North Africa Investment (BWA&NAI) company published an open letter in the local media indicating an interest in investing $1.5bn in the project.

It said it would build an entirely new port between areas known as La Poza and Puerto Atún, which would feature a series of terminals for a variety of different cargos. Additionally, BWA&NAI wants to build a new rail terminal on the site of the existing airport.