The merchants of the Special Customs Regime zone of Maicao, Uribia and Manaure, expressed in a letter to President Gustavo Petro their concern about the decision of Lieutenant Otto Stefan Guerra La Roca, in charge of the Captaincy of Puerto Bolívar, not to allow the arrival of the ship ‘Faith Yadd’, flagged Sao Tome And Príncipe, to the port facilities of Pensoport, in Guajiro territory.
The complainants add that the situation has the three municipalities that are part of the Special Customs Regime in suspense.
They point out that the ship contains Christmas items inside, which were loaded with great difficulty in Panama because they are unemployed there.
They argue that the ship had previously entered the port of Pensoport, where on November 10 and 11 the flag status and statutory certificates were legalized, so its arrival was expected on this occasion without any setback.
However, the Port Captain’s Office informed them on November 15 that the ship is not suitable for entry, so they denied access, arguing that they do so to safeguard security and maritime navigation as well as the port facility.
The merchants point out that they do not understand the behavior of the person in charge of the Puerto Bolívar Captaincy because it goes against the economic reactivation strategy of La Guajira proposed by the National Government.
Dimar explains his reasons
The General Maritime Directorate (Dimar), through the Port Captaincy of Puerto Bolívar, reported in a press release the situation presented with the motor ship ‘Faith Yadd’, identified with registration IMO 8216497 and flag of Sao Tome and Principe. .
The Maritime Directorate indicates that through its maritime agency in Colombia, on November 17, 2023, the motor vessel in question presented an arrival notice to the Sitmar platform stating within the characteristics of the vessel those corresponding to general cargo.
“When carrying out the verification, the Port Captaincy found inconsistencies in this aspect and a clear disregard for the recommendations issued on October 19, when it was stated to the maritime agency that said motor vessel is internationally classified as an “offshore support vessel.” For this reason, it does not meet the specifications for general cargo transportation.
In order to guarantee comprehensive maritime security, it was also clarified that the port facility where the cargo is to be disembarked has limitations on the reception of vessels other than general cargo vessels, in accordance with the provisions of the contract. of granting this; Consequently, arrival at the port is not allowed,” adds Dimar.
Likewise, it states that the maritime agency was informed of the need to demand the ship’s flag and permanent certification from the classification house, where it determined that the motor ship is “general cargo”, since the provisional certificates issued to date, do not correspond to the international regulations established in the Solas and Marpol conventions.
“Despite this, to date the certifications required for the safe entry of the motor vessel into the port have not been supplied,” the statement states.
And it ends by assuring that “the Colombian Maritime Authority works for the maritime development of the country, within the framework of respect for national and international standards, and in that sense, authorize the use of vessels and naval devices for purposes other than those stipulated in Its design goes against institutional policies.”
