Puerto Rico’s New Upside Down Commerce

NEW YORK, Aug. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The following is submitted on behalf of the International Longshoremen’s Association’s affiliated locals and members who are employed in handling general cargo in Puerto Rico’s commerce through the Port of San Juan.

There is a sinister move afoot that will have serious consequences for every Puerto Rican and especially for those in local businesses that are dependent upon goods coming to and from them via the Port of San Juan.

For as long as one can remember, general cargo — which includes construction materials — destined for worksites and other locations in the northern sector of the Island has moved through the Port of San Juan — and for good reason: the proximity of that port to readily accessible locations, by efficient highways, for 85% of imported and exported goods, whether going to the northern sector’s worksites and factories to be processed and going back out from them for transport on vessels to other Caribbean Islands and elsewhere. This is consistent with established Puerto Rico public policy that has designated San Juan as the Island’s principal port for such activities.

All of this will soon change because of a scheme being promoted by the Puerto Rico Ports Authority. If it succeeds, it effectively will close down all general cargo operations in the northern Port of San Juan and arbitrarily divert that cargo to the southern Port of Ponce. Yet, it is common knowledge that the Port of Ponce at present is not equipped to handle this quantity of such cargo. Even more puzzling is that port’s distance from the very locations to which those cargoes are destined and where they will be used or from which goods are to be exported. It lies at the opposite end of the Island and is connected by a solitary north-south highway that is not capable of meeting the demands of the increased traffic that will result.

It stands to reason that these critical factors will just add to the cost of the goods. Moreover, it will impede the movements of cargoes to and from the ocean terminals. That is, businesses and consumers of Puerto Rico will be the ones who will have to bear the premium that will surely be tacked on to these imports and exports. They also will assume the risks of delays in shipping and receiving cargoes resulting from this unnatural new traffic pattern.

Put another way, this impending change in the way of doing things makes no real sense! On its face, it is detrimental to businesses and projects throughout the northern corridor. Time-wise, it irrationally comes at a crucial juncture in the Island’s economic development, when it is least able to afford such a radical turnaround. Unless the merchants, builders, and public-at-large wake up now to what is about to happen and collectively let it be known that this scheme is impractical and against their interests it will hit everyone concerned directly or directly in their pockets.

Time is running out for the future of the Port of San Juan. The pace of this project calls for immediate action because our people are being told that “there is no turning back.” You should know that by their silence government officials in Puerto Rico have been enabling this project to become a reality. We find their persistent failure and refusal to come to the table or to engage in whatever meaningful dialogue that this scheme mandates, because of its far- reaching implications for the future of Puerto Rico’s economy, to be mind- boggling. Among others, these officials include Fernando Bonilla, the Director of the Puerto Rico Ports Authority and all the way up to the Governor’s office. The citizens of Puerto Rico are entitled to know their positions on this matter of such vital importance to the Commonwealth’s well being, and their rationalizations for such a drastic re-routing.

International Longshoremen’s Association

CONTACT: James McNamara of the International Longshoremen’s Association,+1-212-425-1200

Web site: http://ilaunion.org/