128Canopy Blog

Puntarenas has long been one of Costa Rica’s most active ports throughout history.  As a matter of fact, Costa Rica’s development is attributed to its coffee production and to the port of Puntarenas from which the coffee sacks were shipped.

The estuary in Puntarenas is a 6 kilometer strip of shallow water which allows for boats to engage in several activities that range from tourism to fishing.  However, the estuary has become more and more dangerous over the last few years due to its sediment build up.  Some sectors even have a 30 cm depth which makes it impossible for even a rowboat to make its way through.

Several companies have had a number of setbacks due to the navigation problem along the estuary.  Some boats have to wait up to 8 hours to be able to navigate into the estuary to deliver their cargo.  One shrimp boat was recently trapped in the mud for three days.  The Dona Sandra shrimp boat had to be towed by three other boats.  Its hull was damaged and the owner had to fork out around $10,000 for its repair.

The set back for dredging the estuary is mainly financial.  The cost to dredge the 6 kilometers which make up the estuary is roughly around the 5 million dollar range.  This large amount of money worries locals since a decree was recently emitted in which the Ministry of Public Work and Transportation (MOPT), has assigned entire responsibility and maintenance to the municipality of Puntarenas.

Although the Municipality has a very decent global budget, the dredging of the estuary is still out of its reach.  The Puntarenas Municipality along with the Puntarenas Chamber of Tourism and Dock Union have come before government authorities for their help.