Costa Rica Marinas

Other factors are the expense of building an all-service facility (around $30 million) without clashing with environmental laws.

Other smaller, older marinas have been unable to get through the legal labyrinth, which means fewer employment opportunities along the coast. In Puntarenas, the almost fifty-year-old Yacht Club has all necessary operating licenses, fuel dock and the backing of the National Environmental Technical Department (SETENA).

But – and there’s always a but – the municipal authority has no urban development plan that marks out appropriate areas for a marina. So, the Club has been unable to extend its installations.

Yacht Club manager, Carlos Chinchilla is now “tired of waiting” and frustrated at not being able to offer his clients more benefits such as tax breaks for foreign members wanting to keep their boats in the country for more than two years. This advantage only goes to accredited marinas with the Inter-institutional Commission for Tourist Marinas and Docks (CIMAT).

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In Flamingo, in Guanacaste Province, the sailboat and small craft dock there has been closed since June, 2004 because it didn’t have the environmental permits and the bay was contaminated with fuel spillages. Threat of closure also hangs over two more in the southern Pacific coastal town of Golfito for lack of environmental permits.

The Minister for Tourism recognizes that reform to the marina law is necessary and a Special Commission was set up on March 31st by Congress to start a project to simplify procedures for building marinas.

“At present, it is taking years to get approval to put in a marina,” says Tourism Minister, Castro. Here’s why:

• Preliminary Project. To get a concession, preliminary plans must be submitted with location and zoning restrictions, project description and construction outline.
• Paper Plans. Hardcopy plans must be submitted of the dock or marina’s location and all preliminary construction plans.
• Financial Breakdown. Investment and construction details and an analysis of cost benefits for the project must be drafted.
• Service Costs. The proposed tariffs and charges for facilities and services must be prepared.
• Environmental Authorization. SETENA must approve the evaluation of environmental impact.
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• Land Regulations. If lands are located in the Maritime Zone, a master plan must be drawn up and duly approved. Private properties must also have a master plan of the affected zone. For MINAE-controlled land, a management plan must be drafted.
• Existing Marinas. For already existing marinas, built before the Marine Law came into effect, a notarized copy of all permits and authorizations must be submitted.

Herradura – Luxury and Quality

The Los Sueños marina is the only operative facility that complies with the new Tourist Marina Law demands. It can service 200 boats and offers them fresh water, electricity, TV and Internet connections. The average value of a yacht tied up in Los Sueños is $4 million. The mostly North American clients demand quality, 24/7 security, easy fuelling and effective waste disposal. A 9-12 meter boat costs around $720 per month to keep in the marina.

Los Sueños executive director, Andrea Cooper, emphasizes that the installation meets with all the technical and environmental specifications of the Marina Law. Used boat oil is not emptied into the bay and sewage is piped to a treatment plant. Laboratory tests done every three months demonstrate that water in the marina is not contaminated with fuel spillage.

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Although Cooper did not wish to comment on the other 15 stagnating projects, she admitted that marinas are a costly investment. Supporting the Marina Law, she asserts that a stringent legal structure is the only way to develop projects that keep to high standards of quality.

Open since February, 2001, Los Sueños ($23 million) is the most modern marina in the country. It has a recycling plant for glass, plastic and aluminum collected from visiting boats.

Los Sueños claims to have full occupancy year round and the high tourist presence around Herradura beach has led to increased jobs in the area. Boat owners usually stay a couple of months in the country, renting a house and contracting a boat captain, mechanic and domestic help, watchman, driver and gardener.

Los Sueños indirectly generates some 800 jobs per year. Neighboring communities in Jaco, Quepos and Manuel Antonio welcome more foreigners to patronize local restaurants and hotels and visit the protected areas.

Bill Kirby, marina director, emphasized the business advantages with tourists coming for the sports fishing although not as developed as in Panama or other countries in the region.

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Our thanks to Vanessa Loaiza and our friends at La Nación – Costa Rica’s largest Spanish circulation newspaper for their permission to use this article…

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