Project Spotlight: Costa Rica’s US$3.5bn port projects for Limón province

Construction of four port projects in Costa Rica's Limón province involving total investments of US$3.5bn is gaining traction as the government advances with the processes to tender the required studies.

The are the construction and operation of a US$1.7bn marine and cruise ship terminal in Limón port, an intermodal transfer cargo zone at Moín port, a new US$715mn industrial park for the Caribbean region in the Liverpool area of Limón and a US$213,000 pier to handle hydrobiological products on the Cieneguita river.

Atlantic coast port authority Japdeva announced Tuesday that it had completed the evaluations of companies interested in participating in the preparatory work for the pre-feasibility and feasibility studies on the marine and cruise terminal and the hydrobiological pier. 

Japdeva has narrowed down the number of participants and will now await proposals before choosing the winning bidders. 

“This is a group of companies with very high-level profiles that will now be required to move on to a second stage consisting of the presentation of the technical and economic offer to carry out the studies,” Andrea Centeno, president of Japdeva, said in a statement. 

Meanwhile, the port authority also announced that the industrial park project received few bids, so it will relaunch another tender on March 30. 

The projects are part of a government plan to boost the development of the Caribbean coast province and they are a key priority for President Carlos Alvarado's administration.

In May last year the board of the pre-investment fund of Costa Rica’s planning and economic policy ministry (Mideplan) approved 5.13bn colones (US$8.6mn) for several pre-investment studies, of which Japdeva received 1.96bn colones for the market, technical feasibility, financial, and socio-economic studies for the four port projects. 

These studies must be completed within six months after the respective contracts have been awarded. 

Besides the port projects, the government has also announced the construction of various other infrastructure projects in Limón province, such as the San José-Limón Ruta 32 highway and the Limón electric freight train (TELCA). 

MARINE AND CRUISE SHIP TERMINAL

Besides the improvements to infrastructure for commercial ships, the marine and cruise ship terminal in Limón port will become the first tourist terminal on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. 

The project consists of turning the existing three-dock Hernán Garrón Salazar terminal, one of the only two terminals on the coast, into a destination for cruise ships and recreational and sports vessels. 

This is the most expensive port project drawn up for Limón province and it has been allocated 1bn colones of the 1.96bn colones that Mideplan approved for the pre-feasibility and feasibility studies. 

On December 10 Japdeva launched the tender for the pre-feasibility and technical, environmental, financial and economic-social feasibility studies for the design, construction, commissioning, operation and maintenance of the terminal.

Fourteen companies showed interest in taking part, but only nine met the necessary requirements and six moved on the second stage of the selection process, the port authority stated.

The companies still in the race are:

• Consorcio Técnica y Proyectos (TYPSA), Ingeniería Técnica de Proyectos (ITP)
• Moffatt & Nichol
• Consorcio CASICA (CACISA) and CSI Ingenieros (CSI);
• Consorcio Bermello Ajamil/Partners/Ausenco (BIA/AUSENCO)
• Consorcio GENSLER/Harris Civil Engineers/BAIRD.
• Consorcio ARCADIS/Camacho y Mora.

Although more details will be revealed when the studies are released, the 2008 port infrastructure master plan considered building a 20ha nautical and dry marina with a commercial and residential area and a tourist zone for hotels, restaurants and malls. 

HYDROBIOLOGICAL PIER

Construction of the pier consists of improving infrastructure in the Río Cieneguita pier where local fishermen handle hydrobiological products. The new pier will facilitate loading and unloading operations for fishermen, the government said in a statement. 

The tender for the pre-feasibility and technical, environmental, financial and economic-social feasibility studies for the project was launched on December 11.

Of the six participating companies, Japdeva chose four qualified contenders to compete for the contract. These companies are:

• Ingeniería Técnica de Proyectos/Técnicas de Proyectos 
• Consorcio CSI – Ingenieros/Casisa.
• Consorcio Aquática/PIASA/CDG.
• Consorcio Arcadis/Camacho y Mora

To complete the studies, Mideplan approved a budget of 123mn colones.

INDUSTRIAL PARK

Also part of Alvarado administration’s plan to boost development in Limón, the proposed 10ha industrial park would create a series of facilities for the real estate, transportation, telecommunications and logistic sectors in the Liverpool municipality of Limón.

Few other details about the park have been provided. The tender for the pre-feasibility and technical, environmental, financial and economic-social feasibility studies was launched on January 7.

However, the process will be relaunched on March 30 as Japdeva only received bids from three companies, of which only one met the necessary requirements. 

Mideplan approved 400mn colones to complete the pre-feasibility and feasibility studies for the industrial park. 

INTERMODAL TRANSFER CARGO ZONE 

This is the project that has advanced least and is the only one for which no tender has yet been launched for the pre-feasibility or feasibility studies since the government announced the approval of funds from Mideplan in May 2019. 

However, it is known that the project consists of the construction of logistic platforms linked to port activities, which will be merged with the existing and operating Moín container terminal. 

The financing for the studies on this project amount to around 300mn colones. 

Photo credit: Japdeva