Six of the leading Dominican shipping companies are joining efforts to build a US$130 million San Pedro International Terminal port in southeastern San Pedro de Macoris in two years time. Frederic Schad, Ageport, Agencia Maritima & Co., Perez & Cia, Maritima Dominicana and E.T. Heinsen are working with Terminales de Contenedores de Barcelona (http://www.tcbcn.com), a Spanish company. The modern container port will serve as a transshipment center. It will go up on the western bank of Higuamo River and will have docks for two large ‘post-Panama’ container ships in a first phase and for a third in a second phase. It will feature a container parking area of 750,000 square meters. Promoters of the private port say it will decongestion traffic through Santo Domingo as cargo headed for the Cibao can travel along the Carretera Mella. Operations will be possible 24 hours a day. The promoters expect to handle 1.5 million tons of cargo in the first two years, increasing to 2.5 million as of the third year and five million in ten years time. This is the third major private port announced for the DR to start construction. Others are the Punta Caucedo and Haina in the National District.
