BajaNomad

Proposed Colonet port

oldhippie - 6-26-2007 at 10:45 AM

The on again, off again cargo ship port at Colonet is making news.

Will it be built? What do you folks think?

I've read that this project is in competition with the expansion of the facilities at Lazaro Card##as, and I've read there's no room for expansion at Lazaro Card##as.

Guess I'll have to spend a month or two this fall with Smiley, Nacho, and most certainly the better half, driving the Ford Condominium down the mainland Pacific coast to Nexpa/Playa Azul and take a day to see for myself. :bounce:

I don't think it matters to the shippers. When you're coming from China, both ports are in the same neighborhood.

????

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20070623-9999-1b...

Bob H - 6-26-2007 at 11:10 AM

It will happen. It's just a matter of Mexican time!
Bob H

DanO - 6-26-2007 at 03:06 PM

My sources tell me it is a done deal. They're just fighting over who gets what at this point.

805gregg - 6-26-2007 at 03:19 PM

Tis a shame, in 1972 I was camped near the water, in the Colinet river bottom and I met the family that had a little piece of heaven right there. Just east of the fishermans beach shacks there was a notch in the cliff that led to a valley, it was perfect. They had their house and orchards in there, far removed from the outside world. very nice people, the son tooks us to his cousins house where the cousin grew herb, and got us some illegal Tequilla, San Quintin area was dry for hard liquor. How the world changes, sometimes not for the better. I suppose they will get very rich, and lose what they had.

oldhippie - 6-26-2007 at 04:26 PM

Hey DanO, your sources, eh? Are they private?

DENNIS - 6-26-2007 at 04:31 PM

The port is just the receiving end of a huge plan. A railway is another part. They can't be trucking all this crap through Maneadero and Ensenada.
The largest hurdle has to be the US government, building a terminal to recieve this sunami of containers from Chinalandia and otras lugares.
For Mexico, I believe they will win on this but, for Baja, it will have a lot of pain. Perhaps, to our ideal of Baja.
We have to get ready to change our minds. It wont always be as we would like it to be but, they can't take our memories or rewrite our scrapbooks.
The land which once stood still is moving faster than we are. Joseph Wood Krutch would cry. He's probably doing just that.

oldhippie - 6-26-2007 at 04:35 PM

Yuma farmers say "not in my backyard" to rail line from Colonet.

http://westernfarmpress.com/news/061107-union-railroad/

Isn't there a railroad in use now in Lazaro Card##as that connects to the US ?

oldhippie - 6-26-2007 at 04:40 PM

I'm in favor of a port at Colonet if it's needed.

The Baja Barbary Coast Bar with live entertainment! Now that's authentic Mexican and very sustainable.

DENNIS - 6-26-2007 at 04:48 PM

Oldwonderingone -----

Can't be a freigtway track anywhere in the region. Narrow gauge may be in place but, it's news to me if there is.

DENNIS - 6-26-2007 at 04:54 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by oldhippie

The Baja Barbary Coast Bar with live entertainment! Now that's authentic Mexican and very sustainable.

The Barbary coast is in Africa.

David K - 6-26-2007 at 05:02 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by oldhippie
Yuma farmers say "not in my backyard" to rail line from Colonet.

http://westernfarmpress.com/news/061107-union-railroad/

Isn't there a railroad in use now in Lazaro Card##as that connects to the US ?


The English (who built the flour mill, now Old Mill) began a railroad to the U.S., and layed about 10 miles of track north when lack of rain forced an end to the wheat growing operation, 100 years ago+.

That railroad route was to go to Valle Trinidad (from south of San Vicente) and through the San Matias Pass and up to Calexico, etc.

The Colonet to Yuma route of the new port facility to the U.S. is vertually the same.

bajamigo - 6-26-2007 at 05:05 PM

Not the Baja Barbary Coast.

DENNIS - 6-26-2007 at 05:09 PM

Or the Barbaric Coast............. Except at Hussongs, Friday night.

DanO - 6-26-2007 at 05:16 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by oldhippie
Hey DanO, your sources, eh? Are they private?


One is a Mexican landowner to the north, who also reported rumors that a LNG terminal is planned in connection with the port, possibly to be located at Punta Santo Tomas. The other is an American real estate speculator, er, investor, who has been involved in discussions of the development of commercial and residential properties in the Colonet area. Names are private, to protect the innocent.

David K - 6-26-2007 at 05:32 PM

The rich titanium discovery at San Antonio del Mar dunes, just north is also part of the mess.

oldhippie - 6-27-2007 at 08:31 AM

Thanks DanO, perhaps there is some wishful thinking on the part of your sources since they both could profit from the port, perhaps not. I was hoping you'd name Steve McGarrett as a source of information.
;D

Anybody want to go into the nightclub business? We'll have customers by the container load! Contraband titanium too! We need to get to work on establishing a harbor side zona de tolerencia.

oldhippie - 6-27-2007 at 08:40 AM

Dennis,

Thanks, I never heard of Joseph Krutch so I googled him up. I found this quote of his which I'll use on the Loreto Bay thread when I start my fall offensive.

"If people destroy something replaceable made by mankind, they are called vandals; if they destroy something irreplaceable made by God, they are called developers."

I like this guy.

DENNIS - 6-27-2007 at 08:45 AM

Oldresearcherofb-tchenquotes----

Thank you back for bringing Krutch's words to us. That quote is timeless albeit more relevant today than ever.

DanO - 6-27-2007 at 10:12 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by oldhippieWe'll have customers by the container load!


Now that you mention it, I think we'll be seeing a lot more Chinese restaurants in BCN.

bajabeachbabe - 6-27-2007 at 10:23 AM

I just received an email letter from International Living on this topic.

June 26, 2007
Punta Colonet, Baja California
Dear Mexico First Alert Reader,
Mexico has announced plans to start the bidding process for the construction and operation of a mega-port and rail line in Baja California before December 2007. The port-rail project, which may cost as much as $9 billion, will be based at Punta Colonet, about 150 miles south of San Diego.
The proposed port at Punta Colonet will be Mexico’s largest—to be used for container cargo only. For the U.S., it will serve as an alternative to the congested ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, particularly for cargo shipped from Asia. These two ports are estimated to handle 40% of all cargo entering the U.S. and 80% of all U.S.-bound cargo from Asia.
The concession for building and operating the Punta Colonet port will be paired with that of the rail line. The proposed railway will run from the port up to the U.S./Mexico border east of Mexicali, facilitating shipments both within Mexico and to the U.S.
Punta Colonet is a sparsely inhabited inlet on the Mexican coast, about five miles inland from the small village of Colonet. Here, an agricultural community of about 3,000 consists mostly of ejidos, or communal farms.
All that will change with the port and rail development. According to reports, the mega-port will cover nearly 7,000 acres, making it as large as the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach combined. An entire city of up to 200,000 people will be built to support port operations.
The Mexican government has asked the ejidos for input regarding the project master plan. Many of the ejido members with property in the proposed area are in favor of the project.
Best Regards,
Suzan Haskins
Editor, Mexico Insider
International Living

pappy - 6-27-2007 at 10:36 AM

a possible twist in this could be the plan of saving salton sea,part of which includes opening up to sea of cortez to accomodate shipping which could eliminate the need for port at colonet,etc.

woody with a view - 6-27-2007 at 10:41 AM

pappy

where you get that info? will they dredge the mouth of the colorado all the way upstream? seems kinda fishy, seeing how they can't even keep santa rosalillita open to yachts, much less cargo ships......:?:

pappy - 6-27-2007 at 10:53 AM

there are three major proposals in regards to saving the salton sea, eg divide in half, keeping the southern half as game preserve, the northern for recreation.one includes dredging, canal maybe? ( i don't recall exactly) to open it up to cortez so a thriving shipping industry could exist there, plus the rail lines are right there already in use...this is all U. S. driven.... of course it's political and $ driven....so who knows what will happen(if anything).

Bajasurf - 6-27-2007 at 11:29 AM

I read recently that the Port of Ensenada is expected by the year 2010 to have the capacity to transfer 400,000 containers each year. The goal for this year(2007) is 155,000 containers. I believe the additional 250,000 containers per year for a total of 400,000 or 1100 containers per day should suffice and should eliminate the need for Colonet.

bajalou - 6-27-2007 at 11:36 AM

Three times 2007's goal is a drop in the bucket for the projected demand.

David K - 6-27-2007 at 07:48 PM

This is not accurate!:

Punta Colonet is a sparsely inhabited inlet on the Mexican coast, about five miles inland from the small village of Colonet. Here, an agricultural community of about 3,000 consists mostly of ejidos, or communal farms.

Punta Colonet is NOT 'inland' from the village of Colonet!!!:lol::lol:

Mango - 6-27-2007 at 09:14 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by pappy
there are three major proposals in regards to saving the salton sea, eg divide in half, keeping the southern half as game preserve, the northern for recreation.one includes dredging, canal maybe? ( i don't recall exactly) to open it up to cortez so a thriving shipping industry could exist there, plus the rail lines are right there already in use...this is all U. S. driven.... of course it's political and $ driven....so who knows what will happen(if anything).


Pretty funny to see your posts. I had thought of starting a satirical thread about predicted sea level rise and the new Puerto de Palm Springs.

If you look at some of the maps about projected sea level rise. Much of the area between the Sea of Cortez and 29 Palms could be underwater in the near future. The Salton Sea is already a few hundred feet below sea level.

A little help with some earth moving equipment and So. Cal could have a huge port just south of I-10. We could turn the engineering disaster of the Salton Sea into a engineering marvel.

The biggest problem with this idea is the need to ships to navigate all the way around the cape. A big delay for any traffic to or from Asia.

David K - 6-27-2007 at 09:53 PM

Sea level has not risen in the Gulf of California in the past 40 years because all the places I camped as a kid (on the beach), are still there!

Mexitron - 6-28-2007 at 06:57 AM

I've always liked the idea of connecting the Salton Sea to the SOC to keep it from rotting away...but never heard of the shipping port idea...makes sense if it pencils out cheaper to go around the Cape than using rail from Colonet. would Mexico let us use the right-of-way when it isn't in their best interest?

Wonder though, they'll have to use locks to control water heights, otherwise Mecca and other low lying areas around the sea could be submerged.

oldhippie - 6-28-2007 at 07:03 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by David K
Sea level has not risen in the Gulf of California in the past 40 years because all the places I camped as a kid (on the beach), are still there!


As they say:

"Past performance is no indication of future performance."

You have heard about the polar ice caps, glaciers, and very large parts of Greenland melting in an accelerating fashion haven't you?

bajalou - 6-28-2007 at 07:16 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Mexitron
I've always liked the idea of connecting the Salton Sea to the SOC to keep it from rotting away...but never heard of the shipping port idea...makes sense if it pencils out cheaper to go around the Cape than using rail from Colonet. would Mexico let us use the right-of-way when it isn't in their best interest?

Wonder though, they'll have to use locks to control water heights, otherwise Mecca and other low lying areas around the sea could be submerged.


The cost of digging/dredging required to connect the Salton Sea with the Sea of Cortez would make the cost of the Colonet project look like a kids allowance. El Centro and the surrounding areas up to Brawley are also below sea level.

For the container ships to travel clear up the Sea of Cortez to some new port - (have to be port facilities built, along the line and size of the Colonet one) would be expensive. Cheaper for them to wait offshore the LA/Long Beach harbors for a week or two to unload. I'm sure the people at Loreto would like to see 10-20 containerships passing by each day.

Mexitron - 6-28-2007 at 11:33 AM

That's true Lou, it would be expensive! But I was thinking of the economic payback of running a port would help out, plus the probable economic stimulus to the Salton Sea area would be astounding...just think of all the new "coastal property". And no, the SOC residents wouldn't want to see container ships going by...although to tell you the truth, growing up in South Orange County we could see the container ships heading to Long Beach, making their way past the offshore oil rigs of Huntington Beach(with the jets flying overhead to the old El Toro Marine Base!)...didn't do much to hurt housing values.