Port officials in Santo Tomas de Castilla Guatemala are to sign an agreement with Ports of Belize to allow for the transshipment of cargo for export and import between Belize and Guatemala, according to a report in Prensa Libre today.
We are in the final phase of our negotiations and we project that by the end of the month or in September we will start with the first shipment to Belize”, stated Edwin Josue Ramirez planning adviser for the Port of Santo Tomas de Castilla.
The idea is to open a new maritime route between the two commercial terminals in order to reduce service expenses.
Ramirez said that negotiations have been underway since May, and Port of Belize officials visited the Port of Santo Tomas de Castilla last week on afamiliarization visit.
The Guatemalan official says that Belize expects to move between 60 and 70 containers every week, averaging 240 containers a month.
He said that in Belize the ports are private and the government only regulates them. “For a Belizean businessman it is more cost
effective to send his shipments to Santo Tomas, and from there move it to its final destination. “We have offered them space so
that they can do their consolidation of containers,” he said.
He added that Belize is prioritizing the transfer of fertilizer from Santo Tomas to the port of Big Creek. “The shipment of this
product is currently done overland and this is more costly compared to moving it by barge.
The second type of product that Belize would be moving through Guatemala will be the export of citrus concentrate as well as
general merchandise.
All marine ports in Belize are owned and operated by a private company Ports of Belize. The main port in Belize city is allegedly falling into disrepair for lack of maintenance and government controlled media have for some time being targeting the company for criticism.This has lead some industry observers to believe the company may be under consideration for expropriation if improvements to shipping services are not made.
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