Feasibility study for access and construction of a deepwater port in Bluefields Bay

Abstract

Bluefields Bay is a coastal lagoon with a wide variety of ecosystems that is home to a great diversity of flora and fauna. This ecosystem is highly vulnerable to human influence. The Bay is a marine-coastal system (estuary). Its flow is fed by the basins of the Escondido River and several tributaries located in the southern part until it reaches the Punta Gorda River, and by the entrance to the Caribbean Sea. The Bay is of great importance as it is the main national access route between the Rama city and Bluefields, and internationally through the Bluff port.

The construction of a deep-water port in Bluefields Bay is a viable alternative in response to the megaproject called the Gran Canal Interoceanico de Nicaragua (GCIN), which can contribute significantly to the development of the Region, which is why two alternatives are being analyzed to define the most viable route for the construction of the deep-water canal, resulting in Alternative A being the most viable and least expensive in economic terms, a physical-chemical analysis of seawater and Bluefields Bay was also carried out and the aquatic, terrestrial, fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, algae, mollusks, and crustaceans of the project's area of influence were inventoried.