Operadora Portuaria Centroamericana (OPC), the Honduran subsidiary of International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI), signed a sister port agreement with the Port of Big Creek in Belize to strengthen relations and promote interconnectivity between the two Central American ports.
The partnership benefits both ports and their respective areas of influence.
Specifically, the pact boosts the flow of cargo to OPC as well as Belize’s foreign trade.
Since starting operations in 2013, OPC continuously invested in Puerto Cortés, improving infrastructure, acquiring new equipment, and rolling out state-of-the-art port technology to transform the region’s trade and reduce the cost of goods for the end consumer.
The investments, along with the modernization of Puerto Cortés, will now pay off as the agreement with the Port of Big Creek is expected to increase the flow of cargo through the terminal.
"This gives us tangible advantages among the terminals in the isthmus and positions us as the better option for cargo and transportation, unloading of containers and general cargo in the region,” noted Juan Corujo, OPC Director-General.
“The possibilities of diversification in services, reprocessing and storage at competitive costs benefit all the actors in the logistics chain and position Central America as one of the most important logistics poles," he explained.
"The agreement with the sister terminal of Puerto Big Creek in Belize is a clear example of the benefits offered by the investment and modernization of Puerto Cortés.”
The Port of Big Creek, through a cabotage barge service by the Big Creek Group, is set to benefit from Puerto Cortés’ global connections with OPC handling more than 23 weekly services.
The agreement also gives the Port of Big Creek the advantage of having a free zone in OPC’s yards for its import and export cargo in transit, which will boost Belize’s foreign trade.
Operated by the Big Creek Group, the Port of Big Creek is in the Stann Creek district south of Belize.
The port is mainly used for the export of banana, sugar, citrus, shrimp, and oil, and is accessible by land, air, and sea. Its location and ability to handle large ships make it a strategic alternative for interconnection with Puerto Cortés.
ICTSI, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, OPC, won the international bid for the design, financing, construction, maintenance, operation, and exploration of Specialized Container and Cargo Terminal in the Republic of Honduras in 2013.
An important port in Central America, OPC is the only port in the CA-4 region – comprised of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua- allowing containers loaded from the Honduran port to arrive at US ports already pre-checked and with a lower risk rate, resulting in greater speed for dispatch processes aside from reducing costs at destination.