- Ecuador


Business News Americas

Ecuador's Bolivar port authority (APPB) aims to award two concession contracts to upgrade and operate its port terminals in January or February, a port official told BNamericas Tuesday.

APPB officials had originally planned to award the contracts in December, but do not expect the government to approve contract documentation in time, the official said.

Instead, the government will review the contracts in December, and qualified companies will have 45 days to present their final offers before APPB makes its decision, the official said.

After APPB awards the contracts, winning firms have 90 days to establish the concessions. The qualified firms are Ecuadorian companies Ecuaestibas and Marglobal as well as engineer Boanerges Pereira.

Port officials will award two 25-year concessions for Terminals 1 and 2 to different operators to foster competition. Terminal 1 will require an estimated investment of US$17.4mn and involves overhauling and enlarging the breakwater pier and repairs to berths 1, 2, and 3, according to preliminary information. Terminal 2 will require an estimated US$26.5mn and includes the construction and operation of berths 5 and 6 and their respective service and support areas.

Bolivar, in El Oro province, is an export gateway for the country's south. The concession process is designed to help it surpass Guayaquil as Ecuador's leading banana exporting port.

Randy Woods
(BNamericas.com)