Terminal operator Compas is to invest $30 million in its Colombian installations at the Port of Barranquilla in Colombia. The work, which encompasses both modernization and expansion of the existing facility, will see the current berthing line extended to allowed up to four vessels to berth simultaneously.
The existing coal belt loader will be replaced by one able to handle loads of up to 800 tonnes per hour. This will be achieved by bringing in a mobile unit, thereby obviating the need for vessels to manoeuvre on the dock. This will generate substantially faster turnaround times.
Compas handled coal, coke, fertilizer, steel, and some liquid bulk at Barranquilla. Significantly, imported steel traffic is currently down by around 30%.
Nearly 1.1 million tonnes were handled at the Barranquilla Terminal in 2020, which is down 170,000 tonnes when compared to the 2019 figure. Compas says that the downturn is down to two major factors: the impact on the Covid-19 pandemic and the necessity to divert vessels to other regional terminals due to problems related to conditions in the port’s access channel.
The outlook in 2021 appears little better, with the best to be hoped for is a return to 2019 levels of traffic, which should be possible due to announcements by the government of state projects to boosts construction and, in doing so, see higher levels of imported steel.
Source: Barry Cross - Dry Cargo International