U.S. supports Colombian river port study

   The U.S. Trade and Development Agency has awarded a $550,000 grant to Terminal Fluvial Andalucía, S.A. (Andalucia River Terminal or “TFA”) for a feasibility study to determine the technical and financial viability of a new inland river port along Colombia’s Magdalena River.
   The feasibility study will also include the preparation of preliminary design documents for the river port. TFA, a subsidiary of Grupo Puerto de Cartagena (GPC), plans to build and operate an inland river port along the Magdalena River, which would function as a feeder to the Port of Cartagena, operated by GPC’s Sociedad Portuaria Regional de Cartagena.
   Currently, almost all cargo shipped through the Port of Cartagena is transported to and from the interior of the country by road.
   With the implementation of the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, USTDA expects development of the river port will provide an important new avenue for more efficient trade. “Specifically, port facilities along the Magdalena River will help diversify transport routes and improve efficiency in the movement of heavy goods between the Caribbean coast and the interior of the country by increasing capacity, lowering costs, and minimizing risks related to ground transport, while also significantly reducing CO₂ emissions,” the agency said.
   USTDA has a long history of close cooperation with the Colombian ports sector. In 2007, the agency helped the Port of Cartagena obtain its Container Security Initiative status by funding a chain-of-custody security study. Additionally, at the ports of Cartagena and Contecar, USTDA funded a study to advance the establishment of a unified customs and security examination facility. It will be the first of its kind in Colombia, allowing cargo inspections to take place outside a marine terminal.
   The opportunity to conduct the USTDA-funded feasibility study for the Magdalena River terminal will be competed on the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) Website. A link to the FBO announcement will be posted to USTDA’s Website. TFA will select the U.S. contractor that will complete the feasibility study.