International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI) subsidiary Operadora Portuaria Centroamericana (OPC) has inaugurated a new pier facility at Puerto Cortés in Honduras with an investment of $145m.
The new Pier 6 facility is a greenfield development that marks the first phase of OPC’s expansion work in Puerto Cortés.
It has added 350m of additional quay area to the current 800m and depth of 14m, allowing OPC to handle the largest box ships operating in major trade routes in the Atlantic without any infrastructure limitations.
The facility is developed to improve port infrastructure in Puerto Cortés and help the country to become one of the major logistics hubs in Central America.
ICTSI chairman and president Enrique Razon Jr said: “The expansion work we see today is a clear demonstration of the support we have been getting to help us effectively and efficiently develop and run the terminal.”
The company is also expected to invest in a number of large-scale projects at Puerto Cortés, including the construction and expansion of the container yard, as well as the implementation of advanced port technologies.
OPC CEO Mariano Turnes said: “With the start of operations of the new dock, Puerto Cortés will become the container terminal with the greatest capacity in the entire Central America-Four (CA-4) region.”
So far, OPC has invested more than $250m as part of its 30-year deal to operate the Specialized Container and Cargo Terminal in Puerto Cortés.
In February, ICTSI unveiled its second phase of investment in new container terminal infrastructure that is going on at the company’s Basra Gateway Terminal (BGT) at the Port of Umm Qasr in Iraq.
To be carried out with a cost of more than $250m, the investment will include the development of a new berth, yard, installation of handling equipment and others.
