COLOMBIA: Barranquilla’s port sector asks to unify draught in access canal
COLOMBIA: Barranquilla’s port sector asks to unify draught in access channel
According to information from El Heraldo, Asoportuaria, the Ports Association of the Colombian Atlantic called for concentrating dredging in critical areas to improve the authorized draft in the entire access channel to the Port of Barranquilla and not just in one section of it. Although the port sector recognized the improvement up to kilometer 11 of the canal, they insist that it is not enough to improve competitiveness.
“We need an optimal draught in the entire canal to continue providing the service of importing and exporting goods without bothering anyone,” Lucas Ariza, director of Asoportuaria, told EL HERALDO.
These statements were made by Ariza after the announcement made on Tuesday, December 29, 2020 by Cormagdalena and Dimar, entities in charge of managing the maintenance of the canal, about the improvement in the draft, which went from 7.3 meters to 8.5 meters, but only up to kilometer 11.
“Today, the fact that we have a particular draft in Bocas de Ceniza is good, but it is not enough. In those first 11 kilometers we have Monomeros and also two other terminals, but the remaining 85% is after kilometer 11,” said Ariza.
According to information provided by Dimar and Cormagdalena, between kilometer 11 and 22 of the access channel, the authorized draft is 7.3 meters for vessels of 180 meters in length and 7.3 to 7.6 meters for vessels of 180 to 200 meters in length.
The problem, according to Ariza, is that today there are two draft levels in the port. “It is good that we have an improvement, but it is not enough,” he said.
The executive pointed out that the dredger that is currently working “was asked to attend to this sector” using the volume that still remains in the current contract until a new tender is made. “They were asked to do this in order to give it stability or to unify the draft,” said Ariza.
“This hits the economy very hard, not only of the port, but also of the city. Not all the ships that go to the terminals after kilometer 11 have the capacity to unload,” said Ariza.
