Guayaquil authorities are searching for foreign investors to help construct the new international deepwater port, the containers exchange and the new Guayaquil ecological industrial zone that it is planned for Posorja
Turning Posorja into an international deepwater port and containers exchange, as well as developing the new Guayaquil ecological industrial zone, are among the main objectives of the urban development earmarked for the area. The aim is to create a new economic engine and a production and environmental center. It is an ambitious project in which both the local authorities and private investors are involved.
Alianza Internacional Portuaria (Alinport), an organization created by the Spanish group Albacora, in which the local groups Vilaseca and Nobis also participate in addition to the Danish shipping company Maersk, is in charge of the task of managing the project that began in 2006 with a global investment valued at around $500 million. “This port is of international importance due to the sea conditions and water depth that allows it to welcome ships from all over the world, which can then use it to distribute products to both the north and south. It offers a whole host of advantages, including exemption from taxes on income for 10 years thanks to the Law of Fiscal Benefits,” says Guayaquil Mayor Jaime Nebot, one of the project’s main driving forces. Boats will be able to pass through waters of up to 15 meters deep at the new facility, thus creating cheaper transport costs, as the port of Guayaquil currently only has a depth of 9 meters.
With the aim of making this future infrastructure a global reference in international ports, the Guayaquil authorities are looking for foreign investors, despite the fact their port is already the best in Ecuador, accounting for 70% of all movement of goods. A prominent group of Chinese businessmen has already met with the Guayaquil Agency for Regional Development to discuss participating in the project. The Chinese delegation was particularly interested in getting behind the building of a new shipyard with the aim of constructing boats with Chinese technology under the Ecuadorian flag. “The port will generate a great complimentary development and will be key not just for the future of Posorja, but also Guayaquil and all of Ecuador,” concludes Nebot.
