Work on the construction of APM Terminals’ new US$1bn container terminal in Moin, Costa Rica has been delayed due to difficulties in obtaining the required building permits.
This is the third time that the Dutch company has been granted contract extensions on beginning the building work. The contract was originally awarded in March 2012 and work was due to begin in early 2014, with the project scheduled to open 36 months later. However, extensions have been provided to 24 April, 24 July and now 24 October, according to a report in the Costa Rican Times.
APMT has reportedly been asked by the Costa Rican authorities to provide further clarification on certain environmental aspects relating to the project.
The new terminal has been mired in controversy since the project was announced, with the union of the Port Management Board of the Atlantic Coast (Japdeva) repeatedly resorting to obstructionist measures in a bid to halt its construction. Japdeva has argued that it would give APMT the monopoly of container handling in Costa Rica and accuses the Dutch company of not meeting the necessary environmental, legal and financial requirements set out by the state.
The new Moin Container Terminal will have an initial annual throughput of 1.3m TEUs, rising to 2.7m TEUs at full build-out. With an eventual depth of 18 meters, it will be able to accommodate the 12,000 TEU vessels that will pass through the widened Panama Canal once the lock expansion project has been completed in 2015. At present, the port is limited to vessels of 2,500 TEU capacity.
