EL VARADERO is the two lane access channel

EL VARADERO is the two lane access channel

SOURCE: REVISTA PORTICO
DEC 09 2010

Bocachica (Figure 1)- Depth: 15.3 m - Canal Base: 82 m

In an accelerated transformation process, Cartagena has built a competitive industrial and port cluster, whose global connection has increased maritime traffic in the bay.  And for the good of the city, the projected cargo and tourism volume will continue to grow with the arrival of the largest ships in the world, by way of the expansion of the Panama Canal.  Nevertheless, this requires an access channel whose size will permit the entry of these modern vessels to the diverse port facilities. 

Having been used during the colonial era, the access channel of the Bay of Cartagena has been enlarged on two occasions until reaching its maximum capacity.  Today it services 6,500 ships annually; among these are included ships with 5,000 containers and bulk carriers with 80 thousand tons of dead weight. 

Meanwhile, during the last five years Cartagena doubled its cargo movement and tripled its cruise movement.  Therefore, currently 4,500 ships circulate annually through the access channel.  Nevertheless, considering the current industrial investments and the growth of its transfer cargo, it can be anticipated that by 2017 4 million containers and 1 million passengers will arrive. 

By then the entry of 9,500 ships to Cartagena annually is foreseen, and while the capacity of its access channel accommodates 6,500 ships, its dimensions will not allow the crossing of the largest ships that pass through the Panama Canal and any new expansion could put at risk the stability of the forts that frame it. 

Natural Necessity

By looking for the most competitive charter fees, market forces determine the global tendency to build large ships in order to decrease transportation costs.  For this reason, ship builders have been updating their fleets and today they have ships with capacities of 15,000 containers, and they also have large bulk carriers and tankers, of up to 150,000 DWT. 

Simultaneously, with a depth of 18.3 meters, the new locks of the Panama Canal will allow the largest vessels in the world to pass through; therefore, as of 2015 the ports that have the specifications to service them will obtain lower freights, routes with higher frequency and direct access to the largest international markets. 

Meanwhile, as the bay of Cartagena is one of the largest, deepest and best protected in the Caribbean, it is the only one developed to receive such ships.  Nevertheless, it requires an access channel adequate for the port opportunities that are approaching, which will notably impact the local, national and regional economy.

Therefore, the construction of a new access channel through the “El Varadero” passageway (with a depth of 18 meters) will bring as a consequence the increase in the capacity of annual crossings (from 6,500 to 16,500 ships): it will allow the access of the oil tankers with the largest draft to the Cartagena port, as well as the largest container ships and solid bulk carriers with the most tonnage.  Additionally, it will protect the historical forts that frame the Bocachica Canal. 

Such benefits translate into an increase in competitiveness for those who do business by way of the terminals established on the Bay.  And therefore the topic becomes fundamental for Colombia, considering that 8.5% of the GDP comes directly from the port of Cartagena, where the majority of national cargo is moved. 

Canal Users (Figure 3)