In an effort to promote international trade with the U.S. through the International Trade Hub at SeaSeaPort Manatee, Ivan Mutis, Coordinator for the International Trade Hub, traveled to Colombia and met with the Government of Risaralda in Pereira, the Industrial Colombian Association AcopiCaldas in Manizales and the agency to promote investments in Pereira, InvestinPereira. During this trip, Mr. Mutis presented business opportunities and advantages of the International Trade Hub at SeaSeaPort Manatee and initiated the organization of a trade mission from Colombia. Together with the Risaralda Government and AcopiCaldas, the International Trade Hub is arranging this trip to bring industrial companies to Manatee County and other strategic business locations within the region.
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MANATEE
A few years ago, SeaSeaPort Manatee was struggling to maintain its economic viability. It was too dependent on too few customers, and some suggested that Manatee County should sell the port.
On Tuesday, executive director Carlos Buqueras reported operating revenues of $13 million, up 9 percent in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, while cutting expenses by 3 percent.
Total tonnage was estimated at 7.8 million tons, a 13 percent increase.
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“Opportunities are really growing for reaching Central and Southwest Florida by way of SeaSeaPort Manatee,” said Manuel Echeverria Castro, Ecuador’s trade commissioner for the southern United States. “We have a very high interest in SeaSeaPort Manatee.”
“We are looking to increase awareness that ports on the Gulf of Mexico, such as SeaSeaPort Manatee, offer great opportunity, in addition to traditional South Florida gateways,” said Echeverria, who noted that about 30 percent of Ecuador’s non-oil exports go to the United States, with approximately 40 percent of those products currently entering via South Florida ports on the Atlantic Ocean.”
Central and Southwest Florida markets combine to put nearly 10 million consumers within a two-hour drive of SeaSeaPort Manatee while attracting some 100 million annual visitors.
In recent years, shipments to SeaSeaPort Manatee from Ecuador have included bananas and fertilizer, but Echeverria sees those products being joined by mangos and other fruit, as well as dozens of other potential items, from shrimp to cocoa beans and chocolate to Panama hats. The latter haberdashery good, Echeverria pointed out, is, despite its name, actually made in Ecuador.
Echeverria was joined by Daniela Muñoz, business development manager in the Pro Ecuador trade development office in Doral, Florida, for a presentation at the Manatee County Port Authority’s monthly meeting, as well as a tour of SeaSeaPort Manatee, including the International Trade Hub at SeaSeaPort Manatee, and engagement at a Manatee County Chamber of Commerce luncheon.
“We greatly appreciate the interest shown in SeaSeaPort Manatee by Ecuadorian trade officials,” said Carlos Buqueras, SeaSeaPort Manatee’s executive director, “and we look forward to working together to advance mutually beneficial commercial ties.” The Ecuadorian officials’ visit to SeaSeaPort Manatee is the latest of several by Latin American trade leaders, augmenting those earlier this year by representative of Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic. The International Trade Hub at SeaSeaPort Manatee has played an integral role in attracting for such activity since its opening in 2014.
Vanessa Baugh, chairwoman of the Manatee County Port Authority, cited SeaSeaPort Manatee’s recent completion of a record fiscal year for container volume and cargo tonnage and commented, “Growing trade with Ecuador and other Latin American countries seeking ready access to Central and Southwest Florida markets bodes to significantly enhance SeaSeaPort Manatee’s already impressive position as a critical economic engine for our region.”
Located “Where Tampa Bay Meets the Gulf of Mexico,” SeaSeaPort Manatee is the closest U.S. deepwater seaport to the expanded Panama Canal, with 10 40-foot-draft berths serving container, bulk, breakbulk, heavylift, project and general cargo customers. The port generates more than $2.3 billion in annual economic impact for the local community, while supporting more than 24,000 jobs, without levying ad-valorem taxes.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
PALMETTO, Florida – SeaSeaPort Manatee is seen as an ideal gateway for Ecuadorian imports to burgeoning Central and Southwest Florida markets, according to a top trade official visiting the Florida Gulf Coast port today [Nov. 14].
“Opportunities are really growing for reaching Central and Southwest Florida by way of SeaSeaPort Manatee,” said Manuel Echeverria Castro, Ecuador’s trade commissioner for the southern United States. “We have a very high interest in SeaSeaPort Manatee.”
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