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Facilities: Barranquilla, Everglades

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Operations have begun at Colombia’s newest maritime container handling facility, Barranquilla Container Terminal (BCT), a joint venture between Sociedad Portuaria de Santa Marta (SPSM) and SSA Marine. Port Everglades Cruise Terminal 4 will be expanded and reconfigured, creating a modern, dual-flow facility just in time for the 2014-2015 cruise season.

Colombia: Barranquilla Container Terminal Opens for Business

Operations have begun at Colombia’s newest maritime container handling facility. Barranquilla Container Terminal (BCT) is a joint venture between BITCO – a subsidiary of Sociedad Portuaria de Santa Marta (SPSM) – and Seattle-based terminal operator SSA Marine. SPSM and SSA are both AAPA members.

Gantry cranes ready to work at the new Barranquilla Container Terminal. Each crane stands 41 meters /135 feet high and can span 13 rows of containers.  
Photo/BCT

Representing an investment of 85 billion Colombia pesos, or roughly US$42 million, the terminal is equipped with three Panamax-size ship-to-shore cranes, two RTGs and various other container handling equipment. The wharf is 182 meters/597 feet long and 35 meters/115 feet wide with alongside depth of 12 meters/40 feet at mean low water and can accommodate vessels up to 294 meters/965 feet long. Throughput capacity of the 3.5-hectare/8-acre terminal is 116,000 TEUs annually. An additional 1.5 hectares/3 acres are available for second phase expansion.

The terminal is located on the left bank of the Rio Magdalena, 18 kilometers (or about 11 miles) from the point where the river empties into the Caribbean Sea. The river is a major transportation corridor, extending 949 miles from the interior. The region drained by the river is home to more than half of the country’s population and generates nearly 90 percent of its gross national product.

BCT is a calling point for Caribbean Feeder Services Ltd’s Carico service, which is utilized by Hamburg Süd, Zim, Hapag Lloyd, CSAV and CMA-CGM. From its November 16 startup through January, the terminal performed more than 2,800 container moves, SPSM General Manager Mauricio Suárez.

Parent-company BITCO (Barranquilla International Terminal Company) just recently completed construction of 120-meter/394-foot long pier that will handled break bulk, liquids and bulk cargos.

The BCT container terminal with cranes deployed and stacks of containers in the storage yard. Adjacent is the newly-operational general purpose BTICO cargo pier. The yard is being prepared for use as storage space and development of any required infrastructure. The terminals are sited on the left bank of the Rio Magdalena, a major commercial corridor.  
Photo/BCT

Port Everglades to Expand and Remodel Cruise Terminal 4

Port Everglades is about to begin yet another major cruise terminal renovation. Terminal 4 will be modernized through an expansion and reconfiguration effort that will provide the cruise line industry with a modern, dual-flow facility just in time for the 2014-2015 cruise season. In addition, the adjacent Slip 2 will be extended by 250 feet for a total 1,150 feet of berth length to accommodate larger cruise ships. Celebrity and Princess are current users of Terminal 4.

The terminal renovations will begin in mid-March and be completed by November 2014 in time for the start of the next cruise season. The Slip 2 extension is slated for completion by the end of 2016. It will be the sixth cruise terminal renovation the port has undertaken in five years.

"This latest expansion effort is a direct result of the cruise industry’s movement towards building larger ships," said Port Everglades Chief Executive and Port Director Steven Cernak, PPM®. "We are continuously reinvesting in our cruise facilities to keep them fresh, convenient and efficient for the cruise lines and their guests." 

Once completed, Port Everglades will apply for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for the terminal due to the scheduled energy-efficient terminal improvements. The $24 million Cruise Terminal 4 renovation includes: 
  • Moving passenger drop-off from the east side of the terminal to the west side in order to separate the traffic from neighboring Cruise Terminal 2 and reduce traffic congestion in that area. 
  • Providing covered loading/drop-off areas as part of the ground transportation area. 
  • Adding 172 surface parking spaces at ground level adjacent to the ground transportation area.
  • Replacing the single escalator and older elevators with two new escalators and two new elevators for improved passenger flow. 
  • Improving lighting and acoustics, and a high-efficiency air conditioning system. 
  • Installing 50 check-in counters to meet the demands of larger capacity cruise vessels.
  • Providing new restrooms. 
  • Adding a new loading bridge to expedite the passenger embark/debark process. 
The Broward County Public Works Department’s Seaport Engineering and Construction Division is overseeing the cruise terminal renovation and slip expansion projects. No local taxes will be used for these construction projects as Port Everglades is a self-funding enterprise of Broward County government. The Florida Department of Transportation has allocated $1.85 million towards the project. 

Port Everglades is one of the three busiest cruise ports in the world with nearly 4 million passengers expected in 2014. Eight cruise lines, one ferry and more than 40 cruise ships sail from the South Florida port.
 

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