Port operator International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI) recently inaugurated a new pier in Puerto Cortés, set to add more room for containership giants.
The new Pier 6 facility, operated by ICTSI’s subsidiary Operadora Portuaria Centroamericana S.A. de C.V. (OPC), is expected to further strengthen the country’s position as Central America’s premiere logistics hub.
The USD 145 million greenfield development, which represents the first phase of OPC’s expansion work in Puertos Cortes, adds another 350 meters of quay to the existing 800 meters and depth of 14 meters.
OPC is now the only port in the Central America-Four (CA-4) region able to receive the largest box ships plying major trade routes in the Atlantic thanks to two of its new super post-Panamax cranes, which also increased the annual operational capacity of the terminal by 50 percent to 1.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).
Aside from the completion of the first phase, more large-scale projects are already in the pipeline for the coming years, including the construction and expansion of the container yard, and implementation of advanced port technologies for greater efficiency, ICTSI informed.
As of date, OPC has already invested more than USD 250 million as part of its 30-year commitment in operating the Specialized Container and Cargo Terminal in Puerto Cortes.