The private initiative promoted and devised by the construction company Berkes to develop a ferry and cruise ship terminal in the Mauá Dam area lost one of its potential partners.
Sources of America Corporation —current concessionaire of the Carrasco Airport and six airports in the interior of the country—indicated that the company “decided not to integrate at this stage the consortium led by the Berkes company to develop a ferry and cruise terminal project in the area of the old Mauá Dam” .
Businessman Juan Carlos Lopez Mena —Owner of Buquebus— He said this Tuesday that he is not interested in investing in that area for a new terminal and that its bet is to strengthen the current terminal in the port of Montevideo or another area that the capital city has.
The sources of Corporación América pointed out that the Berkes initiative is “a great project”, which they considered “good for the country and for the city of Montevideo”, and explained that the company’s decision is based on its strategic determination to concentrate on this time their efforts to maintain the level of excellence in the airports that already operate in the country, as well as in the development of the inland terminals that are part of the so-called National Airport System. LThe company plans to invest US$ 300 million in six airports in the interior (Rivera, Salto, Carmelo, Durazno, Melo and Paysandú) that the government granted him in direct concessionCome in own investment, operation and maintenance for a period of 50 years.
The Executive Power finalizes details to carry out a call for tender to provide the concession of the Mauá dam for 30 years. The work would cost around $400 million. Berkes was negotiating with the IM the land for the construction of another five buildings –including the old cylinder of the gas company–, an activity that seeks to give economic support to advance the works of the dam.
One of the reasons that led to the interest of the authorities is to move the current passenger port terminal in Montevideo, in the middle of the port and its commercial activity, to another area of the coastal promenade. However, a group of neighbors in the area do not share this government initiative for the Mauá Dam.
