Yilport is getting ready for the competition with new cranes, but users demand improved times and complementary works

Main banana unions report that it needs to improve service.

Yilport plans to workEnd of this month the six patio cranes (RTG)They arrived in Puerto Bolívar in mid -March. And a month later, that is, toEnd of May, it plans to have the other two porch cranes operationsIn the dock area.

The arrival of the first batch of cranes involves an important step in the modernization of that El Oro terminal, and the authorities have anticipated that productivity times will be improved and will be able to compete for more load.

But users warn that the facilities managed by the Turkish company need complementary works, adapt their infrastructure and improve processes to expedite the service.

The banana sector is one of the main users of that port.Of the 380.49 million banana boxes exported by Ecuador in 2020, 21.58% left Puerto Bolívar.Within this sector they are not very comfortable with the service they receive since the terminal was concessioned four years ago.

And Machala banana leader He explained that one of the main Difficulties are the waiting times that the load has and that the available warehouses are not suitable to be used at fruit reception in this rainy season.

"There are high temperatures, rains; warehouses need to be adapted so that the load is lowered as soon as possible. And improve the facilities for the load: sometimes there are trucks that wait up to three days inside the port," said the leader Orense.

Four of the main banana unions, grouped in a cluster,They presented this same problem weeks ago through a letter sent to President Lenín Moreno and other port authorities.

In the letter they complain about the "bad service" they receive in Puerto Bolívar despite handling higher rates than other terminals. In addition, they allude to the fact that security in the terminal "remains very limited" and the leaders of terminals "have different criteria" that disruption operations.

Juan José Pons, coordinator of that intergremial group that sent the letter,He argued that the concession has an investment plan that must be executed and that, according to users, it has not yet been fully fulfilled.

"That plan has many spaces that have not been covered, for example, the wineries have not been properly repaired and when it rains the load has been wet," he said.

The banana trees have complained about the state of the wineries, whose roof has holes. These days work has been seen. Courtesy

The union spokesman indicated that, although new cranes have arrived, the issue of the port operation is carried out to an entire user service infrastructure. Pons said they are asking to be supervised that the investment plan is being met.

Bananeros confirmed on Friday that these days have seen work in wineries 8 and 9, but investments are required to speed up.

Evelyn Ycaza, manager of the Port Authority of Puerto Bolívar (APPB),State that supervises Yilport's concession, acknowledged that there has been a delay in investments because the concessionaire did not have the land delivered by the State to expand the terminal.

The properties were only delivered in September 2020 and from there they have begun to sign contracts to start the works and extensions provided for in the concession contract.

Ycaza said that since January of this year works of the facilities renewal plan have begun, which include the adaptation of Bodegas, a new 450 -meter long spring, a cooling cellar, container courtyard, new accesses, among other works. "The corrective works that the terminal needs are already in process," he said.

‘Yilport's investment exceeds $ 100 million’

The Turkish Concessionaire Yilport demarcates its responsibility for the long waiting times that the banana trees in Puerto Bolívar and rules out that the lack of equipment is generating problems.

"They are certain guilds who do not assume their responsibility and intend to always point to Yilport," he saidAlfredo Jurado von Buchwald, Regional Manager of Yilport, when asked about complaints.

The Executive related the long waiting to theLack of communication between shipping companies and exporters.He said that when there are delays in itineraries, exporters do not report producers about these changes in the ship's arrival, and maintain the original cutting dates. They fill the trucks, and when they arrive at the terminal they find the novelty that the ship has not yet arrived and must wait.

Jury said that another reason for this problem to be generated is the non -observance of exporters and producers to electronically transmit to the Aisv port (authorization of income and exit of vehicles).

Yilport said that a shift system will be implementing in the coming weeks, as is in other ports in the country.

Regarding the delays in the investments, Jurado said that Yilport's operations began in 2017, but only in September 2020 the land was transferred for the expansion of the port. And from there new works have been generated, such as the dredging and the constraint of the new dock.

"Yilport's investment exceeds 100 million dollars, between what has already arrived and what is missing in teams," said Jurado.

The Executive recalled that once the operation of the port A Yilport immediately brought from Türkiye two seminuevas mobile cranes with only 7,000 hours of operation and that are not counted as investment. Subsequently, two other similar mobile cranes arrived, but new and more capacity. Therefore, they consider that the new cranes that arrived in March are part of a third lot.