In a laconic statement, the second largest shipping company in the world, Maersk, announced that from January 2024, it will concentrate its operations in the public-private administrative port of Posorja, a rural parish in the canton of Guayaquil, which will affect the terminal’s activities. of the city. The underlying reasons for this surprising decision would be commercial, taken legitimately, but aggravated by the prevailing insecurity in the country, which materialized last September when, due to piracy, it was forced not to dock in Puerto Bolívar but in Guayaquil, creating an increase in costs. , aggravatingly weak banana competitiveness. Container loading and unloading of shipments resumed only when the elements of the navy guaranteed it, actions that will be necessary from now on in all Ecuadorian ports.

The ship Maersk will leave the sea port of Guayaquil in order to operate from Posorje from 2024

The ordered unilateral detour is equivalent to more than 92 additional kilometers for the mobilization of perishable products that must maintain a continuous or extended cold line, under penalty of irreparable failure, this means an increase in transportation costs estimated at at least 12 cents per banana box, that some segment of the chain will eventually take over, not even thinking that this concept will be burdened by farmers who did their calculations without including that height. They will also have to adjust the time of fruit cutting; Nor should it be applied to exporters who sell mostly FOB without considering this unexpected increase, as it would disrupt the harmonious relationship with importers.

The change of Maersk’s operations, from the south of Guayaquil to Posorje, ‘will generate additional costs of 130 dollars per container’

The departure of Maersk means that the port of Guayaquil as a whole will cease to offer services for a thousand containers a day, reducing the income of thousands of Ecuadorians who live on the benefits they provide on land as machine operators, light vehicles, crews, restaurants, contributing to the enrichment of the dynamic concept of the city-port of Guayaquil. This will cause another collateral effect on the thriving metropolis and its exit avenues towards the coast, the flow of vehicles now with a minimally controlled speed will become more congested than it currently suffers, at least to the extent of the Chongón toll, adding to the ongoing suffering of residents attracted by the advertised peace that will disappear.

Contecon plans to close 2023 with more than 900,000 TEUS mobilized at the Port of Guayaquil, 5% more than 2022.

The roads that connect to the coast will not withstand the weight of vehicles loaded with containers, even if they return empty, increasing mobility that is not exempt from frequent accidents that discourage tourism and productive development in the area, without security against attacks. criminal activities that appear at every step, when preventive measures should have been taken against the attacks of pirates and ordinary gangs that appear along land and now sea routes that discourage domestic and foreign investors.

Naviera ZIM adds a new service to the Guayaquil seaport, managed by Contecon

It is the state’s obligation to protect and guarantee the integrity of foreign trade exchange, which records significant figures of export and import of agricultural and aquaculture goods, the pillars of the country’s economic growth. (OR)