APM Terminals Moin will bring in facilities to serve the larger vessels entering the Latin American trades. It is to enable the Costa Rica’s future economic growth needs through a sustainable container terminal. Henceforth, fresh fruit such as pineapple and bananas are now being transported to Costa Rica’s export markets in North America and Europe in refrigerated containers (“reefers”). Costa Rica’s Port of Limón-Moin ranked 13th in Latin America and 4th in Central America with container volume of 1.09 million TEUs in 2014. Over the next 15 years, reefer container shipments from Costa Rica are projected to double from an estimated 300,000 TEUs to 600,000 TEUs.
Costa Rica’s exports totaled USD 11.75 billion in 2014, nearly 40% of all Costa Rican exports. In the first six months of 2015, Costa Rica shipped 933,800 tons of pineapples, 473,000 tons of which were destined for the USA.
Costa Rica:
- The world’s largest exporter of pineapples
- The 3rd-largest exporter of bananas;
- Exporter of sugar, coffee and beef.
- Accounts for 40% of the Central American nation’s GDP.
- Much of Costa Rica’s exports of agricultural and meat products are temperature controlled;
Annual worldwide refrigerated cargo shipments represent a market of approximately 100 million tons at present.
Global containerized reefer volume increased by 4.9% in 2014. The reefer container enables temperature control, the mix of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen to slow the ripening process and keep fruit fresh, reduce spoilage.
APM Terminals Moin will allocate 60-70% of the terminal to refrigerated storage and concluded a contract for the delivery of six, electric powered STS cranes and 29 electric-powered Rubber Tire Gantry Cranes (eRTGs) which will make the 1.3 million TEU, deepwater container terminal one of the most advanced in Latin America upon completion of Phase One in 2018.
Dredging is underway to deepen the access channel to 16 meters. Other construction projects include the construction of a new 1.5-kilometer breakwater with a 40-hectare container yard, 600 meters of the quay
and two berths equipped with six post‐Panamax cranes. Upon the completion of the project’s final phase, the facility will cover an area of 80 hectares, with 1500 meters of quay, five berths, a 2.2 km breakwater and an access channel 18 meters deep, serving as a shipping hub for the Caribbean and Central America.
“The future of temperature-controlled shipments is containers, and the larger containerships dedicated space to reefer cargoes. 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,” said Kenneth Waugh, Managing Director of APM Terminals Costa Rica.
Source: APM Terminals
