HISTORY.
Before starting the background should be clear that it is a policy of port expansion, which entity is responsible for approving and develop it, and under what law the country is governed.
Port expansion policies are, who formulate public policy guidelines and directives regarding the development of port infrastructure in the country, these plans should refer to public and private investments stimulated and agree conducted on new facilities and port activities. 1a Laws January 10, 1991, Article 23 defines the national port authorities and assigned to CONPES (national council for economic and social policy) function or not approve the port expansion plans submitted by the Ministry of Public Works and transportation.
The real port activity begins to occur only in very precarious conditions when the river opens cupcake steamships 1846 From this date, the rivalry between the cities of Cartagena and Santa Marta Barranquilla appeared sharpened and that, being on the river became important because of its direct access to the sea. Since then, the national port history has consisted of a continuous and costly effort that led to the first concessions to build isolated railroad to transfer cargo craft lines. The country had to receive a majority of concessions reversal or voluntary surrender to eventually be directly responsible for its administration.
In 1959, by Act 159, the administration of ports in Colombia became an entity called: COLPUERTOS, which administers the same until 1993 The new entity created over time presents high levels of inefficiency and corruption that leads to incur losses, so the national government itself in several years is doomed to cover losses by covering their operating costs; being very narrow or no margin for expansion and modernization. The inefficiency, low productivity, leads the federal government to make the decision to liquidate COLPUERTOS.
The chaotic situation created by the COLPUERTOS administration in Colombian ports, led the national government to see what was happening in other countries, such as England, France, Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and especially Chile, which were taken several policies and ideas, keeping in mind that the maritime transport accounts for approximately 80% of the volume of foreign trade, so the port control action, its operation must be linked to external trade policy. That's when the first law of 1991 was born.
EVOLUTION.
The adoption of the first law of 1991, which brought public and private partnership, ensuring optimal performance, contractual obligations, guarded free pricing and plans for port expansion occurred.
The benefits of the adoption of this law were the optimal response to foreign trade, effectively positioning industry, private equity, development, modernization and operation of infrastructure.
Since 1993 the port expansion plans are given, the first was on this date with CONPES 2680, which aimed to improvements in the administration, lower port charges and increasing productivity. The second was in 1996, 2839 CONPES proposed further investment and further growth across the sector. In 1998, the fourth, CONPES 2992, led to environmental protection and improvement in waiting times occurred. The fifth port expansion plan was CONPES 3149 2001 comprehensive plan where the port system was given. The sixth was the 3342 CONPES 2005, with strategies for competitiveness and greater private investment in Barranquilla. The last of the CONPES preceding the current one is the 3611, 2009 with draft seaports as articulated in the Gulf of Uraba, and environmental constraints.
Focusing more on the direct antecedent of the current expansion plan, we must emphasize that the above Port Expansion Plan, established by the 3611 Document Conpes 2009 represented not only be the seventh port expansion plan formulated after the Port approved Statute but also became a significant boost in terms of port development. That Port Expansion Plan not only established the need to expand port capacity in light of the growing foreign trade that was projected in the country since then, but its sustainable approach allowed aspects closely related to port activities, such as transport coal were regulated so that negative impacts to the environment is to mitigate and coexisting with port activities, as the case of tourism, could be carried out.
Additionally, said Port Expansion Plan adopted the Comprehensive Management Plan Port - PIOP as a valuable planning tool maritime-port sector in the short, medium and long term, since it allows new applications for port concession consistent with environmental, social and transport infrastructure policy.
However despite the previous port expansion plan achieved noteworthy progress in the purpose of strengthening maritime port activity, currently the need to formulate a new Plan of Port Expansion to complement the measures already made and allowed to continue on evidenced view to strengthening the port sector.
CURRENT STATUS.
There is a close relationship between economic growth and foreign trade and can be set to turn a positive relationship between foreign trade and port traffic. In 2012, through the Colombian ports mobilized a total of 174 million tonnes (MTA). This represented not only a growth of 3.1% compared to 2011, but an average annual growth for the past 6 years of 9.5%, a growth rate even higher than the Colombian GDP.
The mining and energy boom that is occurring in the country and its prospects in terms of infrastructure requirements and the new dynamics of port services that generate the expansion of the Panama Canal in the Colombian coasts, a new policy of expansion necessitate port.
Port expansion policy that is in development is currently in Colombia CONPES 3744: "Ports Policy couple more modern country." Framed within the provisions of law 1991 1a and supported on four strategies aimed at strengthening the national port sector and its sustainable development.