Port Of San Pedro News

Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has signed a 35-year concession agreement with Ivory Coast's second port of San Pedro to operate its container terminal as part of a deal to upgrade the facility, the Swiss shipping company said on Tuesday. Ivory Coast is the world's leading producer of cocoa, and over half of its total output is exported via the port of San Pedro, which is located near the main western growing regions. The country's main port is Abidjan, which is one of the region's busiest. Investments for upgrades to the port will total nearly 300 billion CFA francs ($510 million), including around 130 billion CFA francs from MSC, the company said in a statement.

Ivory Coast has awarded a project to upgrade its second port of San Pedro to global shipping giant Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and the Bilal Group, a government spokesman said on Wednesday.   Speaking after a cabinet meeting in the commercial capital Abidjan, Bruno Kone said MSC would invest 122 billion CFA francs ($209.14 million) and the Bilal Group 186 billion CFA francs ($318.83 million) under the build-operate-transfer deal.   (Reporting by Loucoumane Coulibaly)

The port of Antwerp and the port of San Pedro in Côte d’Ivoire are to collaborate over the next few years to manage further expansion of this West African entrepot. San Pedro, the leading cacao port in the world, aims to develop at regional level so as to become a logistics hotspot for handling commodities such as fertilisers, cashew nuts and cacao, among other things. Part of the capital cost will be financed by Port of Antwerp International (PAI), the consultancy and investment subsidiary of Antwerp Port Authority. While PAI has already been active in West Africa for many years now, this will be the first time it has made a financial investment in the region. Already in 2011 the ports of San Pedro and Antwerp signed an agreement for collaboration between them.

Ivory Coast 2015 coffee beans exports stood at 63,106 tonnes, down about 10 percent from 70,161 tonnes the previous year, port data showed on Wednesday.   About 56,079 metric tons of coffee beans were shipped in 2015 from the port of Abidjan, compared with 59,509 tonnes the previous year, while exports were at 7,027 metric tons from the port of San Pedro compared with 10,652 metric tons the previous year. (Reporting by Loucoumane Coulibaly; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg and David Evans)

Ivory Coast's second largest port of San Pedro will hold a roadshow in France and Britain next month as it seeks to raise 180 billion CFA francs ($300 million) to fund upgrades, the port's director said. San Pedro is already the world's leading port for cocoa exports, shipping more than half of total output from Ivory Coast, the top producer of the chocolate ingredient. It also exports coffee, palm oil, timber and cotton. However, it is hoping to broaden its activities with upgrades including an expansion of its container terminal and the construction of a new mineral ore terminal.

Ivory Coast's port of San Pedro is seeking 777 billion CFA francs ($1.65 billion) from private partners to fund upgrades that aim to make it one of West Africa's top shipping hubs, including for iron ore and nickel, the transport minister said. San Pedro is already the world's leading port for cocoa exports, shipping more than half of total output from Ivory Coast, the top producer of the chocolate ingredient. It also exports coffee, palm oil, timber and cotton. But the government of President Alassane Ouattara wants to make the port the centrepiece of an ambitious plan that would see more than 8 trillion CFA francs invested in the development of the country's predominantly agricultural western regions.

Top cocoa grower Ivory Coast has reinstated the export licence of Swiss agricultural trader Ecom Agroindustrial Corp Ltd's local unit, rescinding a ban imposed in a dispute over farmer bonuses, a document from the marketing board showed. The Coffee and Cocoa Council, CCC, imposed the suspension, which also barred Ecom subsidiary ZAMACOM from participating in cocoa auctions, on Feb. Several farmer cooperatives had complained to the CCC that ZAMACOM owed them premium payments for certified cocoa produced during the 2012/13 season. Ecom denied it had failed to make the payments.

The Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority approved and adopted a vision, mission statement and the core values of the Port of Houston Authority, as well as a Memorandum of Friendship and Trade Cooperation between the Port of San Pedro, Cote d'Ivoire, and the Port of Houston Authority, among several matters acted on during the July 26 meeting. Port Commissioners also gave brief updates on recent meetings of the standing task forces organized at the May 24 Port Commission meeting. Commissioner Jim Fonteno said discussions were underway on financial reporting and the other matters that would be the focus of the Audit Task Force, and he expected the group's formal charter to be brought to the Port Commission for consideration next month.

Pictured is Senator Boxer. On February 14, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works conducted a legislative hearing on the Marine Vessel Emissions Reduction Act of 2007 (S. 1499). Committee Chair Barbara Boxer (D-CA) discussed the harmful air emissions from ships and the measures that would be required if her proposed legislation were enacted. Ranking Member James Inhofe (R-OK) pointed out that adoption of MARPOL Annex VI is preferable to enacting unilateral legislation.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has given the Port of Los Angeles a $250,000 grant to help monitor air quality around the City’s shipping port in San Pedro, the nation’s busiest container port. The money will be used for the Port’s ambient air quality monitoring program, currently in operation at the Port. The project, which was initiated by the port in October 2005, primarily measures diesel particulate matter, is expected to last 18 months and will cost $1.25m. The grant will enhance the Port of Los Angeles’ capability to monitor air toxics, especially polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, a product of incomplete combustion.