Central American Ferry (El Salvador to Costa Rica) 

The Central American Ferry between El Salvador and Costa Rica is in the news once again.

INCOP, the Costa Rican Institute of Pacific Ports, have confirmed that a Spanish shipping line is willing to take on the responsibility of making the 3 return trips a week between the two countries and has apparently agreed to the terms of the port fees, which are reportedly US $11,100 per call.

INCOP also announced that the vessel will be ready to start service from Puerto Caldera in Costa Rica by November 2021, even though the vessel is in dock in Panama undergoing repairs.

The service is scheduled to start with cargo only and offer a drive on tractor and trailer service (hence the term “Ferry”) as well as a container only service. The equivalent of up to 60 containers can be carried on each trip.

It is hoped to add a passenger service later but no start date for that has been given.

Brief History

The concept of the Central American Ferry between El Salvador and Costa Rica can be traced back as far as 2013. It was re-conceived in 2015 and later swaddled in red tape. It came close to a maiden voyage in 2018 and again in 2020.

The idea of the service is to use the ocean as an alternative route to service the export and import needs of both countries from the ports of La Unión in El Salvador and Caldera in Costa Rica. Almost 90% of the goods bought and sold between each country are currently moved overland through multiple border crossings and are therefore exposed to the vagaries of border controls and closures.

The project was revived in 2018 during the sociopolitical crisis in Nicaragua and related border congestion. However, again the ship didn’t sail.

The last “first sailing” was planned for January 2020 but was cancelled due to issues on both ends. That month El Salvador went ahead with the inauguration of their port facility at La Unión. Meanwhile in Costa Rica, those responsible for the Caldera Terminal (or lack of it) said they were 6 months away from being ready.

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See Central American Bicentennial:

https://nica-biz.com/2021/06/14/central-america-bicentennial-intur-cata-promotion/