Maersk port operating arm APM Terminals BV. has announced a 51% acquisition of Alinport SA, a new container terminal project in Posorja, Ecuador.
The stake in the greenfield development, 120 kilometres (km) south of Guayaquil, was acquired from the Spanish Albacora Group for an undisclosed price.
APM Terminals officials expect construction to begin early next year and facilities are scheduled to come on stream in late 2009.
The terminal's first phase will include a 450-metre berth, yard space with rubber tyred gantry (RTG) operations, ship to shore (STS) cranes, a water depth of 12.5 metres and projected handling capacity of 700,000 TEUs per year.
According to APM Terminals, participating in this greenfield container terminal project is an 'important investment' for APM Terminals in South America.
Officials say that container handling facilities there will further strengthen its global terminal network for customers.
The on-going $5.2 billion Panama Canal expansion program has been the catalyst for many regional port expansion projects and greenfield developments.
Along with rapidly increasing trade between South America and the world, Ecuador's close proximity to the Panama Canal could bring more traffic and boost Posorja's potential to be a key gateway for inland markets and Maersk South American calls.
APM Terminals is currently operating two South American facilities.
It has the 100% shareholder in Terminal de Containers do Vale do Itajai S/A in Itajai, Southern Brazil.
The terminal, better known as "Teconvi", has three mobile harbor cranes to handle containers.
Continued high growth of the market in Santa Caterina has spurred the terminal's expansion plans, which include construction of a new berth suitable for gantry cranes, reinforcement of the existing quay and expansion of the yard area.
Reports say these developments would boost handling capacity to more than one million TEUs per year.
In Argentina, APM Terminals also runs Terminal 4 which is located in the Puerto Nuevo section of Buenos Aires.
In addition to handling containers, Terminal 4 is also a multipurpose terminal equipped to handle all kinds of cargo from machinery, steel pipes, steel plates, heavy lifts, fruits, paper, livestock, bulk to project cargo.
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