Chiquita invests in infrastructure and equipment in Puerto Almirante
Chiquita Brands International, the world’s leading banana company, has invested in the infrastructure and yard equipment of Puerto Almirante in Panama specializing in the movement of containerized cargo for the region.
Puerto Almirante is located in Bocas del Toro province in the western side of Panama close to the border with Costa Rica. The distance to the border with Costa Rica is 40 kilometers and to David, Panama is 178 kilometers. Sailing time to Limon, Costa Rica is 4-6 hours and to Cristobal / Manzanillo, Panama is 8-10 hours.
The port has 312 meters of quay including two berthing positions with a total depth of 11 meters. The company acquired at the end of 2018 two mobile harbor cranes (Liebherr LHM 500) and 8 yard hustlers in order to have a better operational flow between the yard and the quay. The yard has more than 500 plugs with a remote monitoring temperature system. Total capacity of the yard is 1,400 FEUs.
“This year we achieved a historical milestone at the port when acquiring the new mobile harbor cranes and increasing by more than 100% our port equipment at the yard. This will enable us to achieve the highest standards of performance and efficiency at the port” said Andres Vargas Prada, Director of Logistics Latin America.
Puerto Almirante has all the required international certifications on port security and protection including ISPS since 2004 and CT-PAT certified tier 3 since 2008. Security services include inspections on board, seal traceability, CCTV 24/7 monitoring with +60 cameras, K9 unit and the presence of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Marine equipment includes tug boat assistance, pilot and security boat and equipment for underwater inspections. Yard equipment includes 14 yard hustlers, 4 top loaders, VGM certified scale, a brand new cross dock facility and M&R shops for intermodal equipment repairs.
The port works 24/7 365 days per year and currently has availability to attend new services in order to increase the imports / exports of the region.
