Snapshot: Nicaragua's Bluefields port project

The Nicaraguan government is moving forward with a plan to build a US$600mn deepwater port in Bluefields, on the southern Caribbean coast, with the help of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (Cabei).

The project, that was announced last decade by national port company EPN, was initially expected to have all its feasibility studies completed by the end of 2020. However, funds required to advance to a further stage were not secured. 

After several years of delay, last November the transport and infrastructure ministry (MTI) signed an agreement with the development bank to move forward with the plans. 

The current port in Bluefields Bay is El Bluff, located near the Escondido River and some 380km from capital Managua. El Bluff currently has a single 160m pier. 

The construction of the new project “would eliminate the dependence of the country on ports in neighboring nations, and reduce export costs for Nicaraguans, allowing the country to compete for exportable freight,” Cabei’s executive president Dante Mossi said last week. 

As part of the project, 7.2km of highway will be built to connect the port with the country’s road network. 

In March last year, EPN director Virgilio Silva vowed to have the port built before the end of Daniel Ortega’s administration. Silva also said the project would help boost exports to China, with whom Nicaragua established diplomatic relationships in December 2021. 

According to Cabei, its staff met last week with Nicaraguan officials to analyze the mechanisms and actions to build the port. The project was reportedly deemed feasible by the bank after reviewing studies carried out by an independent consultant.

The port will help the country double its exports of around US$600mn in five or six years, according to finance minister Iván Acosta.

When plans to build the port first emerged in 2015, officials said it would have a depth of 8-10m and be able to receive ships carrying 5,000-10,000 deadweight tons.