San Jose – Costa Rica’s Administrative Court rejected two complaints against the concession to the Dutch firm APM Terminals to build a new port in the Caribbean of Costa Rica.
The decision was announced by the President of the Government Management Board and Port Development of the Atlantic (Japdeva), Allan Hill, who said that the Court found “no place” demands.
The complaints, filed by unions and banana growers indicated that the contract should be declared illegal because it gives the monopoly of container handling at APM Terminals and because environmental requirements were not met, legal and financial.
The court confirmed the ruling, today notified the parties that met all the requirements for signing the contract.
Plaintiffs can still go to the Court of Appeals to appeal the decision of the Court.
Last June, the Union of the Japdeva (Sintrajap) staged a weeklong strike in Limon and Moin (Caribbean), in protest against what they consider granting a monopoly of management containers of the firm APM Terminals.
The strike ended after negotiations in which the government pledged to invest at least $ 70 million in the modernization of existing ports Moin and Limon Costa Rica.
APM Terminals won the award for 30 years to build the port with an investment of nearly 1,000 million.
The contract with APM Terminals has already received the endorsement of the Comptroller General of the Republic and the first phase expected to be operational by 2016, and able to handle post-Panamax ships, the largest capacity, which from 2014 will move through the expanded Panama Canal.
EFE
The Costa Rica news (TCRN)
San Jose Costa Rica
