Final Clearance Granted for APM Terminals Moín Project

APM Terminals recently announced their plans to hire 550 new workers in late January as part of the process of kicking off the first phase of construction of the mega port in Moín, located on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. The hiring process will take place beginning in late January and last through early February.

Construction Set to Begin on Costa Rica's Caribbean Coast
According to the construction firm, the first phase of construction will begin on January 19, as a camp for the area is installed and the beach is dredged. The company has stated they expect to hire more employees as the project continues. Additionally, the firm is planning to hire several hundred people to serve as supervision, management, and group leaders during the second phase of construction, which is slated to begin in 2018.

The goal of the new Moín container terminal is to significantly increase the cargo capacity for Costa Rica on the Caribbean side. When completed, the project will cost a total of $948 million and will be one of the most important domestic infrastructure projects completed in recent years in Costa Rica. The new terminal will be able to and unload up to 2.5 million containers annually.

Project to Modernize Port in Costa Rica
As part of the first phase of development, which was originally scheduled to be completed next year, a turning-basin and access channel will be dredged to a depth of 16 meters. In addition, the first phase is slated to include a new 1.5-km breakwater, 40-hectare container yard, and 600 meters of quay. When the final phase of the project is completed, the terminal will feature 80 hectares, 5 berths, 1500 meters of quay, and a 2.2-km breakwater along with an access channel with a depth of 18 meters.

The final endorsement for the APM Terminals Moin Container Terminal project was granted by the Comptroller General Office of Costa Rica in 2012. At that time, the Maersk Group's subsidiary was granted a 33-year concession for the design, construction, financing, operation and maintenance of the container yard. Not everyone was happy with that arrangement, in particular the Japdeva Workers' Union, which opted to take their case to the Costa Rican Supreme Court. Ultimately, the court granted a ruling in favor of APM terminals last year. The final green light for the construction of the project was granted after the National Technical Secretariant of the Environment Ministry announced that it had issued approval for the environmental impact study required for the project. The environmental assessment approval will remain valid for two years.

The Moín port complex is the largest such complex in the country, handling a total of 1.05 million TEUs in 2013. Advocates of the project have been quick to point out that the modernization of the port will create hundreds of jobs while serving as a catalyst for further development in the region, which is currently the most economically disadvantaged in Costa Rica.