Container facilities at Puerto Cabello, Venezuela's busiest port, were left in serious disrepair under the Maduro regime, a US maritime executive said, as a consortium seeks to reclaim its concession, reports American Shipper.
Louis Sola, former chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission, said cargo operations that should take four to five hours now take four to five days. He added that Maersk continues to call the port using equipment from the prior administration, while other facilities remain in shambles.
US forces extracted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday and transported him to New York to face federal charges. Vice President Delcy Rodriguez is leading the interim government.
Venezuela has 25 ports, but only six support meaningful container operations. Puerto Cabello, the busiest gateway, has 10 terminals and an annual capacity of about 810,000 TEU. Despite sanctions, it handled more than 272,000 TEU in 2023.
Maersk, CMA CGM, MSC and Seaboard Marine operate services to Puerto Cabello. Maersk said its 17 staff in Venezuela are safe and working remotely, with only minor delays to services.
Puerto Cabello is run by state-owned Bolipuertos. Pan American Port Operator LTD Corp SA held the concession until it was seized in May. Mr Sola said Pan American had been paying US$100 million annually and is now exploring options to return.
Reports said the US plans to lead a delegation of infrastructure companies to Venezuela in March to assess port conditions.
https://www.shippingazette.com/news?news_id=9260100000239
|
Back:
Next:
