APMT prepares for new Costa Rica terminal

The terminal operator concluded a contract for the delivery of six electric powered ship-to-shore cranes and 29 electric-powered rubber tire gantry cranes for its deep water terminal currently under construction at the Puerto Limón/Moín port complex.    APM Terminals concluded a contract for the delivery of six, electric powered ship-to-shore cranes and 29 electric-powered rubber tire gantry cranes for its new terminal currently under construction at the Puerto Limón/Moín port complex in Costa Rica, the terminal operator said.
   The terminal will increase the port’s annual throughput capacity by 1.3 million TEUs at opening, with a potential build-out of 2.7 million TEUs.
   Phase one of the deep water container terminal will be completed in 2018. The first phase will feature an access channel and turning basin depth of 16 meters, an inner channel and berth pocket depth of 14.5 meters and a quay length of 650 meters, according to data provided by a spokesperson from APMT.
   The timeframe for further construction phases will depend on handled volumes, the spokesperson said.
   Upon the final phase, the terminal will encompass an area of 80 hectares and will feature 1,500 meters of quay, five berths, a 2.2-kilometer breakwater and an 18-meter deep access channel, according to APMT.
   The Panama Canal will be able to accommodate vessels up to 12,500 TEUs once it is fully expanded in 2016, which current facilities at the port are unable to handle. The port currently has a draft of 9 meters and can accommodate vessels up to 2,500 TEUs.
   APMT will allocate 60-70 percent of its space at its new terminal towards refrigerated storage capacity to accommodate expected growth.
   Over the next 15 years, reefer container shipments from Costa Rica are projected to double from approximately 300,000 TEUs to 600,000 TEUs. In addition, an increasing amount of the country’s temperature-controlled agricultural and meat products are moving in refrigerated containers instead of dedicated reefer vessels.
   Costa Rica, which is the world’s largest export of pineapples and the third largest exporter of bananas, is also a major exporter of sugar, coffee and beef.
   “The future of temperature-controlled shipments is containers, and the larger containerships dedicated space to reefer cargoes,” APM Terminals Costa Rica Managing Director Kenneth Waugh said in a statement. “The advanced technology of APM Terminals Moin next-generation cranes will improve safety as well as efficiency, with improved environmental performance essential to handling these ships and attracting more business for Costa Rica in the port, and across the country.”