Colombia port proposal sparks concerns

[Judi Lynn]

Colombia port proposal sparks concerns
Malaga Bay, a migratory stop for humpback whales, was about to be declared a national park when businesses floated a plan for a deep-water port they say will give Colombia a competitive edge.

http://www.latimes.com.nyud.net:8090/media/photo/2010-04/53460182.jpg

A humpback whale is seen in Malaga Bay, on Colombia's Pacific coast. As many as 1,000
whales stop at the bay, an ideal place for mating and calving, on their journey north
from the Antarctic (Yubarta Foundation / April 24, 2010)

By Chris Kraul, Special to the Los Angeles Times
April 25, 2010

Reporting from Cali, Colombia
A proposal to build a container port in a pristine bay on Colombia's coast frequented by humpback whales has raised an outcry among environmentalists who say the project would put the giant mammals at risk.

Malaga Bay is one of the whales' primary northern stops on their long migratory journey from the Antarctic to as far as Costa Rica. The bay's relative isolation and natural conditions make it an appealing place for the animals to mate and give birth. As many as 1,000 humpbacks are believed to arrive there from June to August.

But the bay is also appealing for business interests in nearby Cali, a bustling city known for sugar, coffee and, more recently, ethanol. A newly formed consortium has proposed building a deep-water port in Malaga Bay for bulk cargo and so-called post-Panamax ships capable of carrying 10,000 or more containers. Cali would benefit because cargo would have to pass through the city.

According to Rodrigo Velasco, regional chief of Colombia's largest business organization, known as ANDI, the port, which would be the closest in the hemisphere to Asia and the Panama Canal, would give Colombia a leg up on other Latin American countries in becoming an Asian trade hub.

More:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/latinamerica/la-fg-colombia-whales-20100425,0,1784252.story