MANAGUA: In Nicaragua, the National Port Company (EPN) is planning to build a new terminal at Bilwi, Puerto Cabezas, to accommodate cargo from the north of the country that is currently handled by the ports of Limón, in Costa Rica, and Cortés, in Honduras. At present, just three shipping lines make use of Caribbean ports while Pacific ports have calls from 15 lines.
Bilwi will be expanded to allow it to accommodate some 4m tons of cargo annually, said EPN executive president Virgilio Silva, who estimates investment needed will be in the order of $400m. Once operational, he concludes that significant time savings will accrue.
In addition to this project, the government is to invest $224m in modernising existing port, including construction of phase IV of Salvador Allende port, which has absorbed $35m; finishing San Juan del Sur port; and dredging 7km of the port of Bluefields to improve navigation for merchant vessels. In 2015, Nicaragua’s ports handled 4m tons of cargo and are predicting a 20% rise in 2016 to 5.3m tons.
