Although the Port Company Quetzal (EPQ) in Escuintla has implemented a plan for The funding reduction, it was reported that there are 29 ships waiting.
Of the 29 ships to make the downloads, eight transport iron and seven grains, in total total 15, that is, the highest percentage; Wheat and containers are two of each; and others with cement, clinker and benzene, according to the official report published by the port.
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It is known as maneuvers of Bandeo when a boat is immobilized in the sea bed waiting for a space on the commercial dock to make the downloads. This waiting time or delays represents an impact on the logistics chain, since raw materials or finished products do not reach their final destination.
What explains it?
During a summons in the Congress of the Republic, Vice Admiral José Antonio Lemus Guzmán, president of the Board of Directors of the Port, explained the reasons for the amount of ships pending to make their downloads and actions to reduce the gap.
“The problem that I have emphasized is the lack of place of bearing. There are boats that exceed 190 and even 210 meters long, and when three of that type coincide on the dock there is no longer another ship in the attraction position and a space subtracts us, ”said the manager.
“The problem that I have emphasized is the lack of place of bearing. There are boats that exceed 190 and even 210 meters long, and when three of that type coincide on the dock there is no longer another ship in the attraction position and a space subtracts us. ”
José Antonio Lemus Guzmán, President EPQ
He recalled that when 190 meters are received, up to four beans can be served, but now the only reason it is not attended, is due to the lack of space on the commercial dock.
Although the port specializes in bulk attention, to serve ships that transport containers, SE have enabled four cranes, which was something that, according to the manager, had not been achieved last year.
“It was already achieved that the company that provides the crane service has the four in operation,” said the manager, who recalled that a few weeks ago the company operates two other teams. In this regard, he explained that a container ship that had reserved space to work in 25 hours of discharge was carried out in 15 hours with the operation of the cranes.
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In the case of bulk vessels, he justified that they are always subject to the weather conditions and the maneuvers they perform at the dock with the cranes “and will be pressed a little with the yields in the stowage to guarantee agility in treatment” .
It is not the first time that the EPQ faces this type of “congestion”, since it is recurring.
For example, between March and April of last year, users had reported ships waiting to download solid bulk in EPQ what was generating on costs in the operations of the national logistics chain. The estimate is that for each waiting day it represents an extra cost between US $ 80 thousand to US $ 100,000.
Measures to expedite
The manager acknowledged that there are now no short -term solutions, but for bulk ships it is the Authorization The arrival of new cranes to attend these loads exclusively, to expedite them.
He anticipated that this process of new cranes for solid bulk would last at least eight months.
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In the western part of the port, in the place where it is known as Las Carboneras, it seeks to provide the service for the bulk and two load conveyor bands would be putting, in order to attend the bulk. There is another space in the port enclosure to enable bulk and general load, but it would take at least 10 months to enable infrastructure.
Opportunity window
It was reiterated that the problem of anchorage is for bulk ships, while, for container ships, they have a “window of opportunity” that consists of authorizing a maximum of 24 hours per ship for loading or downloading.
There is a procedure was approved by the Board of Directors by carrying out modifications to the operational regulatory that regulates and ensures the operation of port operations, such as the assignment of bingers and the physical availability of the commercial dock last year.
The specific standard that “when due to lack of spring availability the number of ships Charter In waiting mode in the anchief area is greater than 7 days, the Operations Management, with the aim of avoiding congestion and expediting the loading and discharge operation of the ships must take the corresponding measures in the plan for the reduction of Anchorage (PRF) ”.
New investments
Raúl Bouscayrol, president of the Board of Directors of the Guatemalan Chamber of Industry (CIG), commented that the country’s ports were planned more than 40 years ago and since then there has been no significant investment or maintenance.
“That is why we are living today the consequences of not having the right draft for ships, large lines on hold, where it costs more than US $ 20,000 per day, and the losses continue to ascend. For months we have had a high congestion, with more than 25 ships in anchono, ”he emphasized.
In anchono
According to the EPQ website, these are the fondeo ships:
- Iron: 8
- Grains: 7
- Wheat: 2
- Containers: 2
- Cement: 1
- Clinker: 1
- Fertilizer: 1
- Benzene: 1
- Jumbo: 1
We march electronic
The EPQ will resume in March the implementation of Marchamos Electronic for the containers that travel through the port, with the aim of increasing the safety of operations, said Edgar Lorenzo Alonzo, deputy manager of the company, who stressed that they are currently in the phase of Technical reviews.
The electronic marches update and reinforce the control processes in the port. They were designed to facilitate the traceability of the containers and ensure a more efficient and reliable record of the goods that enter and leave the country.
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