BROWARD COUNTY, FL - Port Everglades, a department of Broward County government, the Empresa Nacional Portuaria (National Port Authority of Honduras), and Operadora Portuaria Centroamericana (OPC), terminal operator at Pue
rto Cortes, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) as part of a joint Sister Seaports agreement.
As one of Port's leading overall trade partners, Honduras' Empresa Nacional Portuaria and OPC have agreed to enter into an MOU with Port Everglades to establish an alliance aimed at generating new business by promoting all-water shipping routes that serve both ports. The MOU was signed on October 5, during the 6th Annual Latin America Ports Forum in Fort Lauderdale by Lina Carona of Empresa Nacional Portuaria(signing for Gerardo Murillo, ENP General Manager), Valmir Castro de Araujo, Commercial Director of OPC, and Jonathan Daniels, Port Everglades Chief Executive and Port Director.
"International trade promotion is a priority for Port Everglades and Broward County. Increased trade will lead to the creation of more jobs both in Florida and the Central American region," Daniels said. "Honduras is an important trade partner for Port Everglades and the nation. South Florida, as a region, far exceeds other US areas in trade between the United States and Honduras - including all the nation's seaports, airports, and border crossings."
"The expansion of the Honduras National Port Authority's 'organic law'* gives us now the facilities to promote and create Dry Port Projects, which will amplify and expand our seaports with areas of strong economic development of different countries inside Honduras territory; thus creating ample feeder port capacities and focusing Honduras' strategic geographical location to the principal East and West coast market of the USA, anchoring and expanding stronger roots of Europe and Asia to America," said Gerardo Murillo, General Manager ENP for the National Port Authority of Honduras.
The two parties want to establish joint initiatives aimed at facilitating international trade and generating new business by promoting the sea trade routes between the two countries. The MOU outlines joint initiatives, including marketing activities and market studies, data sharing, training, and sharing of information on technology, modernization and improvements.
For Fiscal Year-to-Date 2021 (Sept. 30, 2020 - Oct. 1, 2021) nearly 75,000 TEUs (the standard maritime measurement of 20-foot equivalent units) have moved between the two ports. On the export side, cargo consists of textiles for assembly, automobiles and parts, electronics and yarn. The dominant imports from Honduras include perishables, such as fruits and vegetables, as well as assembled t-shirts, underwear and socks.
About Port Everglades:
A global powerhouse for international trade, Port Everglades handles an average of one-million TEUs annually and serves as a gateway to Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe. Located within the Florida cities of Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, and Dania Beach, Port Everglades is in the heart of one of the world's largest consumer regions, including a constant flow of approximately 112 million visitors statewide and 6.2 million residents within an 80-mile radius. Port Everglades has direct access to the interstate highway system and the Florida East Coast Railway's 43-acre intermodal container transfer facility, and is closer to the Atlantic Shipping Lanes than any other Southeastern U.S. port. Ongoing capital improvements and expansion totaling $3 billion within the next 20 years ensure that Port Everglades continues to handle future growth in container traffic. More information about Broward County's Port Everglades is available at porteverglades.net or by calling toll-free in the United States 1-800-421-0188 or emailing PortEvergladesCargo@broward.org.
(*) National Port Authority of Honduras' organic law is the base law that gave "birth" to National Port Authority in 1965. It regulates what the function and reason for the Port Authority's existence, and It is called Ley Orgánica in Spanish. This law was amplified in 2020 by the Honduran Congress to give more abilities to the Honduras National Port Authority, including handling dry ports, technological and modernization amplification, and the ability to invest in infrastructure outside ports, amongst others.
DATE: October 6,2021
MEDIA CONTACT: Ellen Kennedy
Port Everglades Business Development/Communications
PHONE: 954-468-3505
EMAIL: ekennedy@broward.org