Costa Rica plans tender for US$850mn cruise ship terminal

Costa Rica’s Atlantic coast port authority Japdeva is seeking to launch an US$850mn marine and cruise ship terminal tender in Limón province. 

The tentative launch date is August, Japdeva head Sucy Wing Ching told a press conference on Wednesday, after being urged by President Rodrigo Chaves to provide details. 

According to a video played during the conference, the “first Costa Rican marine [terminal] in the Caribbean” will be built in an area covering 27ha, where several buildings, parking lots and even hotels are also planned. 

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

“Various groups of international investors who say they have US$850mn have come to visit me,” Chaves said, highlighting the interest of the private sector. 

This was the first major update on the project since 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 in 2019.

The studies have advanced 90% so far, Wing Ching said, adding that the authority expects to receive the green light from environmental agencies soon. 

“The feasibility study is finished once we have the approval … We are estimating that by August we have everything,” she said.