Latin America’s trade lanes remain buoyant, as the region gets boost from Far East. By Paul Richardson, AJOT Whilst the big East/West trade lanes have suffered badly from overcapacity and depressed freight rates in recent months, several of the North/South routes have managed to wade their way through the depressed market conditions, and shown they are capable of surviving the global downturn with dignity. Latin America’s GDP is presently running at around 5%, which is substantially more than can be quoted for countries in the European region. Well over a third of the imports of the Latin America countries originate in the United States, and trade between the two regions is expected to grow over 4% this year, increasing to around 6% in 2013. But, the biggest expanding trade over Latin America is coming to and from the Far East, and covering both the East and West coasts of the Latin America region. Cargo volumes on this trade route are expected to remain at double-digit increases through 2012, and next year should see a continued increase with a 12% improvement on this year being quoted by trade analysts. To their credit, Latin American countries have shaken off the slur of political unrest, instability and financial volatility, and adjusted to a more stable world where the word “caution” is not frequently used when dealing in business projects and investments. Brazil remains the strongest economic country within Latin America despite a degree of uncertainty over inflation issues in recent years, with Argentina hovering around second and third strength of the region’s economy slot. But, while the big names remain prominent in the regional table, countries such as Costa Rica and Colombia are emerging and showing their creditability in the global trade and financial perspective. Major terminal operator, APM Terminals has invested in Costa Rica through a development and operational undertaking at Moin Container Terminal where the first full year of operations is expected in 2016. APM’s financial investment in the terminal is presently running at US$992m and the management and operational congestion agreement will run for 33 years, at the end of which annual container handling capacity is expected to reach 2.7m teu over nine separate berths with a total of 1,500 metres of quay front, and the ability to provide 6,500 plugs for reefer cargo. Agricultural products accounted for 35.9% of Costa Rica’s US$9.4bn export value in 2010, with import levels running at around US$13.6bn for manufactured goods. Costa Rican exports are expected to increase in value by 75% to US$16.7bn over the next five years, according to official statistics, and Costa Rica is currently the world’s largest exporter of pineapple, and the 4th largest exporter of bananas. APM Terminals believes that as reefer cargoes become increasingly containerised, the need for container terminal access for these commodities will become an even greater factor in Costa Rican global trade. Banana exports account for 34% of the country’s containerised outgoings, while pineapple represents 27% and approximately half of all reefer cargoes currently move by container transportation, with some 85-90% of overall volumes forecasted for containerisation shipment by 2035. Colombia is also emerging from its previously under estimated “also ran” label following the signing of a new trade agreements, particularly focussing on the US North/South routes. Major shipping line, Hamburg-Sud has established its largest container hub port in Cartagena, and the line has an extensive network of container services over the terminal connecting with the global marketplace. Cartagena’s annual container throughput is presently around 2m teu, and the port ranks fifth in the Latin America region container handing league. Underlining the growing strength of the USEC/ECSA trade sector, Evergreen has just joined the existing NYK, Hanjin, Hyundai Merchant Marine ANS service as a vessel provider. The jointly-operated service has inc