Costa Rica will have a new official access port in El Coco, canton of Carrillo, Guanacaste. The space will be dedicated to nautical, fishing and other recreational activities.
This project, which has been in the making for more than two decades, will strengthen both the tourist attraction and the maritime identity of the neighboring beaches. The work meets all the Technical Feasibility requirements, including operational, environmental and maritime engineering criteria, among others, assessed by the Interinstitutional Commission of Marinas and Tourist Berths (Cimat), in which the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) participates.
William Rodríguez, Minister of Tourism, said he was pleased with the progress of the project:
“With the arrival of this new marina in Playas del Coco, maritime tourism will be strengthened, increasing the attraction of boat owners and travelers from around the world, and allowing space for expedition cruises that will be able to take advantage of this infrastructure, generating new employment opportunities and links in the province of Guanacaste and surrounding areas,” he said.
The president of the Association for the Development of the Marina del Coco (Asodemac), Rafael Villegas, highlighted the support of the municipality and the resilience and strength of the members of the association to achieve this dream that has been sought for more than 24 years.
“We are very happy to see a marina in Playas del Coco, with a Harbor Master’s Office and representation of Customs and Immigration, we will be the main port of the North Pacific. The beach is for the use of tourists and residents of Coco, and the area will be organized and improved.”
The Marina del Coco will be built with private funds managed by the concessionaire, which in this case is Asodemac. It is projected to be ready in a period of 3 to 5 years.
The initial phase will be the construction of an access road and the fillings in the body of water. Once this stage is completed, the infrastructure works on land and water will begin.
The designated area is approximately 25 hectares, where 299 berths will be arranged in docks that can accommodate vessels between 12 and 40 meters in length; there will be administrative offices for the concessionaire and the Government, a storage area for vessels with the respective facilities for docking and launching, a maintenance warehouse, fuel storage and distribution dock, ice factory, commercial areas and parking spaces.
Marinas in Costa Rica
The Interinstitutional Commission of Marinas and Tourist Berths (Cimat) is responsible, according to Law 7744, for evaluating marina projects from the initial consultation stage, technical feasibility, among other aspects, and is made up of the Costa Rican Institute of Tourism, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, the National Institute of Housing and Urban Development, the Ministry of Health and the National Technical Secretariat of the Environment (Setena).
Currently, there are six marinas operating in the country, with 1,013 berths on the Pacific Coast and records of 825 boats on average per month. Marina Papagayo, Marina Flamingo, Marina Los Sueños, Marina Pez Vela, Marina Bahía Golfito and Marina Banana Bay (Golfito) generate 5,073 indirect jobs and 2,000 direct jobs. 50% of the boats in the marinas carry out sport and tourist fishing.
