El Salvador and Korea plan feasibility study for shipyard in Port of La Unión

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By LatAm Reports Staff Writers

The Chancellery said they will look for companies interested in operating in the future at this shipyard.

The Salvadoran government met on Wednesday together with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of South Korea and the South Korean company Daeyoung Engineering with the aim of starting with preparations for the feasibility study of the shipyard that is planned to be built in the Port of La Unión.

A shipyard is an industrial facility where ships are built and repaired.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that during the meeting the opportunities for improvement in the port area were addressed.

Once the feasibility study has been completed, through the work of different embassies in the world, we will be looking for companies that could operate in the future, said Deputy Foreign Minister Adriana Mira.

Chancellery indicated that, at present, this institution and the Autonomous Port Executive Commission (Cepa) and the Committee on Strategic Projects are working hand in hand to make this project attractive at the international level.

Cepa’s president, Frederico Anliker, said that talks with South Korean institutions focused on the expansion of the Port of Acajutla and the shipyard project in La Unión.

The official indicated that much progress has already been made on both points with the aim of boosting the expansion of the country, both on the maritime and land sides.

“We are working hand in hand with these allied countries and friends who have great experience worldwide in the field of shipyards and ports,” Anliker said.

Cepa recalled that the company Daeyoung Engineering is in charge of carrying out this project of feasibility of the shipyard, a strategy that is expected to inject a logistical potential to the country, generate jobs and boost the national economy.

The government said that for months they have worked with the South Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and Daeyoung Engineering to develop this study.

In fact, the presidential commissioner of Strategic Projects, Cristian Flores, said in January that this study would begin in February and end in November of this year.

Boosting the construction of a shipyard has been dating back several years in the country. For example, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) indicated in 2019 that consideration would be given to developing a shipyard and boosting businesses in the Port of La Unión. The bet is that the shipyard will fully reactivate the Port of La Unión.

However, the government said in August 2023 that the launch of the ferry, which connected the Port of La Unión with Puerto Caldera, in Costa Rica, would become that push for the reactivation. However,The ship closed operations in December.

The Port of La Unión has completed its construction in December 2008, since then three governments have passed and the complete reactivation of this port point has not been realized.

This article has been translated from the original which first appeared in Diario El Mundo