Rafael Cordero Santiago Port of the Americas
The Rafael Cordero Santiago Port of the Americas —Spanish: Puerto de las Américas Rafael Cordero Santiago (PLA)— is a megaport currently under construction in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The project aims to convert the current Port of Ponce into a value-added tax-free customs-free international shipping hub similar to, though not as large as, the megaports located in Singapore and Rotterdam. The Port of the Americas is Puerto Rico's main Caribbean port, and, at a depth of 50 feet, it is also the deepest port in the Caribbean.
| Port of The Americas | |
|---|---|
The "Port of The Americas" Logo | |
Click on the map for a fullscreen view | |
| Location | |
| Location | Barrio La Playa, Ponce, Puerto Rico |
| Coordinates | 17.969099°N 66.617918°W |
| Details | |
| Opened | 1804 |
| Operated by | Autonomous Municipality of Ponce |
| Owned by | Ponce Municipal Government |
| Type of harbour | Natural/Artificial |
| Land area | 1,000 acres (1.6 sq mi) |
| No. of piers | 8 |
| Executive Director | Carlos I Mejias Algarin |
| Cranes | 3 |
| Channel depth | 50 feet (15 m) |
| Statistics | |
| Annual cargo tonnage | 623,271 |
| Annual container volume | 250,000 TEU |
| Main exports | Scrap metal, chemicals, clinker, cement |
| Main imports | Coal, lumber, molasses, syrup, chemicals, gypsum |
| Rail traffic | 18,500 tons |
| Website www.portoftheamericas.com | |
The port was originally overseen by the Port of the Americas Authority (Spanish: Autoridad del Puerto de las Américas) a defunct government-owned corporation of Puerto Rico. As of December 2012, it was overseen by the newly created Autoridad del Puerto de Ponce. The Authority reported that when completed, the new port will have a storage capacity of 2.2 Million TEUs. The Authority also reported that the port handled an estimated 504,044 short tons of cargo in 2007, and projected it to handle over 1.5 million in 2012.
On 12 December 2011, the government of Puerto Rico transferred control of the port to the Ponce municipal government, when governor Luis Fortuño signed to create the Ponce Port Authority—Spanish: Autoridad del Puerto de Ponce (APP)— an independent government-owned corporation ascribed to the Ponce municipal government.