Contecon Guayaquil SA (CGSA), the Ecuadorian subsidiary of International Container Terminal Service Incorporated (ICTSI) has welcomed the government's decision to dredge and maintain the channel leading to the Port of Guayaquil.
The Technical Commission of the Municipality of Guayaquil awarded a 25-year concession to the Luxembourg-based Jan De Nul Group to undertake the dredging and maintenance of the 95-km access channel.
The CGSA expects the dredging to be completed within the first year of the concession, after which Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest and most populous city, will be able to service mega vessels.
Guayaquil’s close proximity to export zones and agricultural areas mean nearly 85% of Ecuador’s imports and exports pass through the port.
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Speaking about the decision by the municipal government, Jose Antonio Contreras, CGSA CEO said:
“This landmark undertaking of the Guayaquil municipality to dredge and maintain the main access channel, the first in 60 years, is truly laudable.
“It will help ensure the progress not only of Guayaquil, whose ports will be directly benefitted but of entire Ecuador.
“Furthermore, we should be able to strengthen our position as the country’s preferred port of call in the Pacific coast that has a deeper access channel allowing the entry of the world’s largest box ships.
“We can now look forward to the arrival of neo-Panamax box ships since the terminal is ready to handle these new generation vessels.”
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