Honduras

Country Name	Honduras
Official Country Name	Honduras

Table of Contents

Chapter	Name of Assessor	Organization	Date updated
1 Honduras Country Profile	Tania Ochoa	WFP	August 2023
1.1 Honduras Humanitarian Background	Tania Ochoa	WFP	August 2023
1.2 Honduras Regulatory Departments and Quality Control	Tania Ochoa	WFP	August 2023
1.3 Honduras Customs Information	Capt. Wolf Lampe	WFP	Aug-16
2 Honduras Logistics Infrastructure	Capt. Wolf Lampe	WFP	Aug-16
2.1 Honduras Port Assessment	Capt. Wolf Lampe	WFP	Aug-16
2.1.1 Honduras port of Puerto Cortés	Capt. Wolf Lampe	WFP	Aug-16
2.1.2 Honduras Port of La Ceiba	Tania Ochoa	WFP	August 2023
2.1.3 Honduras Port of Puerto Castilla	Capt. Wolf Lampe	WFP	August 2023
2.1.4 Honduras Port of Lempira	Capt. Wolf Lampe	WFP	Aug-16
2.1.5 Honduras Port of San Lorenzo	Capt. Wolf Lampe	WFP	August 2023
2.1.6 Honduras El Salvador Port of La Union	Capt. Wolf Lampe	WFP	Aug-16
2.2 Honduras Aviation	Tania Ochoa	WFP	August 2023
2.2.1 Honduras Palmerola International Airport	Tania Ochoa	WFP	August 2023
2.2.2 Honduras Ramon Villeda Morales International Airport	Tania Ochoa	WFP	August 2023
2.2.3 Honduras Goloson International Airport	Tania Ochoa	WFP	August 2023
2.2.4 Honduras Juan Manuel Galvez International Airport	Tania Ochoa	WFP	August 2023
2.2.5 Honduras Toncontin International Airport	Tania Ochoa	WFP	August 2023
2.5 Honduras Waterway Assessment	Tania Ochoa	WFP	August 2023
2.7 Honduras Milling Assessment	Tania Ochoa	WFP	August 2023
3 Honduras Services and Supply	Tania Ochoa	WFP	August 2023
3.5 Honduras Food and Additional Suppliers	Tania Ochoa	WFP	August 2023
3.5.1 Honduras Food Suppliers	Tania Ochoa	WFP	August 2023
3.5.2 Honduras Additional Suppliers	Tania Ochoa	WFP	August 2023
3.6 Honduras Additional Services	Tania Ochoa	WFP	August 2023
4.2 Honduras Humanitarian Agency Contact List	Tania Ochoa	WFP	August 2023
4.3 Honduras Laboratory and Quality Testing Companies Contact List	Tania Ochoa	WFP	August 2023
4.4 Honduras Port and Waterways Companies Contact List	Tania Ochoa	WFP	August 2023
4.5 Honduras Airport Companies Contact List	Tania Ochoa	WFP	August 2023
4.6 Honduras Storage and Milling Companies Contact List	Tania Ochoa	WFP	August 2023
4.7 Honduras Fuel Providers Contact List	Tania Ochoa	WFP	August 2023
4.8 Honduras Transporter Contact List	Tania Ochoa	WFP	August 2023
5.1 Honduras Acronyms and Abbreviations	Tania Ochoa	WFP	August 2023

Honduras - 1 Country Profile

Generic Information

Honduras occupies a privileged geographical place in the American continent. Located in the heart of Central America, it has access to the Atlantic and Pacific oceans; it has land boundaries with three countries and maritime boundaries with nine; It is essentially mountainous and has an extensive area covered with forests. In its territory lives a population that is the product of miscegenation, of which 8% is made up of indigenous and black people, which makes it multiethnic, multicultural and multilingual (1).

Form of State: Presidential republic with Single-chamber parliament.

Administrative division: Honduras is divided administratively into 18 Departments: Atlántida, Choluteca, Colón, Comayagua, Copán, Cortés, El Paraíso, Francisco Morazán, Gracias a Dios, Intibucá, Isla de la Bahía, La Paz, Lempira, Ocotepeque, Olancho, Santa Bárbara, Valle, and Yoro

Area: 112,492 km²

Limits: Located in the center of the Central American isthmus, it limits to the west with Guatemala (340 km) and El Salvador (356.5 km), to the north with the Caribbean Sea (650 km), to the east with Nicaragua (575 km) and to the south with the Pacific Ocean (65 km).

Capital: Tegucigalpa MDC: 1,293,611 inhabitants (2). Together with the ancient city of Comayagüela, it forms the Central District. It is in the center of the country and is the second most populous city in the Central American isthmus after Guatemala City.

Other cities: San Pedro Sula (812,689 inhabitants); Choloma (282,684); Danli (226,042); La Ceiba (225,606); Progress (201,508); Villanueva (181,792); Comayagua (176,218); Choluteca (171,016); Juticalpa (145,213); and Puerto Cortés (138,151).

Official language: Spanish. In the Bay Islands the use of English is widespread for historical reasons.

More general information can be found in regularly reviewed sources that indicate current facts and figures. For an overview of the country, please refer to the following sources:

Wikipedia Country Information: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honduras

IMF Country Information: https://www.imf.org/en/Countries/HND

Economist Intelligence Unit Information: http://country.eiu.com/honduras

(*Note – This is a paid service)

Humanitarian Information

World Food Programme Information: https://www.wfp.org/countries/honduras

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Information: https://www.unocha.org/latin-america-and-caribbean-rolac/honduras

Facts and Figures

Wolfram Alpha Information: https://www.wolframalpha.com/input?i=Honduras

World Bank Information: https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/honduras

Population Information: https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/honduras-population

Honduras - 1.1 Humanitarian Background

Disasters, Conflicts and Migration

Natural Disasters
Type	Occurs	Comments / Details
Drought	Yes	In recent years (2014-2019), the increasing trends of longer droughts in certain areas of the country, related to the weather phenomenon of El Nino and increasingly heavy rains from depressions or tropical storms elsewhere, have had a devastating effect and incurred high costs. Probability of Drought: 0 to 1 drought per year in the Center and South of the country. In the last 100 years with an average of severe drought per 15 to 20 years, less severe drought in a period of 2 to 3 years (Probable months between January, February and March)
Earthquakes	Yes	Northern Central America (NCA) is the area with the highest risk of disasters in Central America, being one of the areas most affected by extreme geo-climatic events such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and droughts. Honduras, being in the Ring of Fire zone, is prone to earthquakes, however, these are not frequent or of great magnitude. Earthquake Probability Very low in the Northeast area of the country Low, Northwest-West and Center, of Tegucigalpa Media in the South, Northwest, Choluteca, San Pedro Sula) High area of the Northwest, an earthquake during the last hundred years
Epidemics	Yes	Floods or storms produce increases in epidemics, with a boom in cases of diarrhea, respiratory diseases (ARI) and all those associated with the Aedes Aegypti mosquito. For example, after Mitch, cases of diarrhea increased by 20%.
Extreme Temperatures	No	The historical average temperature of the country is located at 25.3 ºC, and an increase of half a degree is forecast in the coming years, although with variations between the different regions of the country. In this way, while in the regions of Choluteca and Valle the maximum temperature reaches 30 degrees, in the peak of Celaque the minimum recorded is 12 ° C.251 Up to 600 meters high the average temperature is around 26 ° C, as in the lowlands of the Caribbean Sea. At altitude between 601 and 2,100 m the recorded temperature ranges between 16 and 24 °C, while above 2,101 m the average temperature is 16 ° C. In the Pacific, the department of Choluteca is characterized by a dry climate with average annual temperatures of 28 ° C.
Floods	Yes	The Honduran territory is especially vulnerable to tropical cyclones and hurricanes, whose number has increased in the last decade, especially between the months of June and November. The country suffers a hurricane every 25 to 30 years, while storms are more frequent: one every three to five years (especially in the period between September and October). The tropical storms and cyclones that affect Honduras originate predominantly in the Atlantic Ocean, north and east of the country. According to IISD (2013), the cyclone season runs from June to November, although some cyclones of great intensity have been recorded in the month of May. Flood Probability: High in the low areas of the North and South High in areas with soils that have poor drainage in the Center. In the last 100 years with an average flood of 3 to 5 years (Probable months between August, September and October)
Insect Infestation	Yes	Temperatures have risen 2°C in the last ten years," leading to shrinking harvests, increased deforestation, and increased pests and epidemics. During 2014, the Institute of Forest Sciences detected 7,528 weevil attacks, mostly in the departments of Olancho, Yoro and Francisco Morazán, for a total of 15,242 ha and 217,573 m³ of pine wood. Locusts are a threat to crops in the country and these tend to proliferate when temperatures rise. However, ARSA together with SENASA undertake early actions to control the pest.
Mudslides	Yes	For FAO (2012), deforestation causes erosion and soil degradation, which affect increased floods, landslides, sedimentation of rivers, loss of water sources and disappearance of rivers for several months a year. La Paz is the Honduran department most threatened by landslides, with 20.22% of its territory. In Intibucá, 20.13% of the department is threatened by landslides, followed by Lempira (19.98%) and Comayagua (18.87%).
Volcanic Eruptions	No	In the Honduran territory no active volcanoes have been located (only 4 holocene volcanoes), which are El Tigre, Zacate Grande, Lake Yojoa, and Isla Útila in an inactive state; of which the date of its last eruption is unknown (Trombley, 2008).
High Waves / Surges	Yes	Storm surges are more frequent on the Pacific coast than in the Caribbean Sea. It is a phenomenon associated with abnormal waves in the central Pacific, with almost annual frequency. 5.1% of the national territory presents a high threat to tides and swells, concentrated in five of the eighteen departments. The department most affected by tides and tides is the Bay Islands, where 43.66% of the area is at risk, followed by Valle (28.82%), Gracias a Dios (13.75%) and Choluteca (8.45%).
Wildfires	Yes	Forest fires are recurrent in Honduras and are a threat that increases in periods of drought, whose increase can lead, to which also contributes the decreasing forest density of the country, which would produce a vicious circle between drought and forest fires. Along with drought, high temperatures and strong winds are the main natural causes of forest fires in the country (ISDR, 2014). However, of forest fires are caused by human activities: in 2014, 72% of forest fires were by criminal hands, and 12% by agricultural burning.
High Winds	N/A
Other Comments	Countries like Honduras have less economic diversification and are more dependent on agriculture, and their lower income and savings, as well as poor education and health, make households vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
Man-Made Issues
Civil Strife	No
International Conflict	Yes	The Gulf of Fonseca has historically been a source of conflict between El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. And despite its beauty and an illustrious past, it is also one of the poorest areas of Central America. The main problem is the lack of delimitation of the waters, although the first attempt in this direction was made in 1880 and it was in 1917 when the Central American Court of Justice expressed itself for the first time in the matter. And the matter also went to be considered by the same International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague after El Salvador and Honduras appealed to the court to settle a dispute over an island of half a square kilometer called Conejo. In its 1992 resolution, the ICJ determined that both states had exclusive sovereignty over a strip of three miles from their coast but assigned the administration of the rest of the waters of the gulf to the three countries that share it. And the lack of precise delimitation has continued to generate conflicts, with the military shooting at fishermen they accuse of fishing in foreign waters and presidents threatened with the use of air power to defend their sovereignty.
Internally Displaced Persons	Yes	Widespread violence is the leading cause of internal displacement in Honduras. The presence of groups linked to criminal activities, organized in maras or gangs, as well as the territorial dispute of gangs dedicated to drug trafficking, are the main engines of this violence. The country's two main cities: Tegucigalpa, the capital, and San Pedro Sula, an industrial city, have figured in recent years at the top of the list of the most violent cities in the world, with homicide rates ranging between 40 and 55, respectively, per 100,000 inhabitants. Since 2013, the Government of Honduras has recognized the problem of forced displacement due to violence in the country. To address its impact, it created the Inter-Institutional Commission for the Protection of Persons Displaced by Violence (CIPPDV), whose objective is to "promote the formulation of policies and the adoption of measures for the prevention of forced displacement due to violence, as well as care, protection and solutions for displaced persons and their families."
Refugees Present		The urgent humanitarian needs of displaced persons, refugees and migrants arriving, transiting or returning to the region exacerbate existing challenges and exacerbate gaps in governance and crisis response and in access to basic services for migrants. 701,000 encounters in 2021 between the U.S. Border Patrol and migrants in transit originating from northern Central America. 795,000 people returned between 2017 and 2021 of which 39.68% come from Honduras. 740,000 asylum applications between 2019 and 2021 in the US and Mexico from people from northern Central America.
Landmines / UXO Presence	Yes	This was generated as a result of the cold war (80's): - Laying of A/P mines, in border areas: Honduras and Nicaragua. - Loss of life and persons crippled were recorded. - Crop areas affected by the effect of mines. - Negative effects on the regional economy.
Other Comments	Honduras is in a complex humanitarian crisis, the root causes of which relate to systemic poverty, deep socioeconomic and gender inequality, persistent violence, the challenges posed by mixed migration flows, forced displacement within and from Honduras, and limited state capacity to respond to the protection challenges faced by the population. This context is marked by the deepening COVID-19 pandemic and climate shocks, including hurricanes Eta and Iota.

For more information on disasters in the country, please refer to the Search Center in Epidemiology and Disasters:

http://www.sela.org/media/3220400/ocha-desastres_naturales.pdf

https://www.sica.int/

Seasonal Effects on Logistics Capacities

Seasonal Effects on Transport
Transport Type	Time Frame	Comments / Details
Primary Transport Network	From May to November	High vulnerability of the network to natural phenomena (climatic, geological, others) does not guarantee continuity of travel in winter season (eg: transport of wood from the exploitation areas to the sawmills). During the rainy season, floods and landslides occur, which generate closures in the roads due in many cases to the poor infrastructure of these.
Secondary Transport Network	From May to November	Like the previous point, secondary roads are affected by floods and landslides, but to a greater degree.
Rail transport	N/A	N/A
Air transport	From May to November	The temporary closure of airports is forced when bad weather limits the visibility required for the departure of planes, especially in the northern part of the country. This occurs regularly in the rainy season.
River Transport	From December to April	The main means of communication between communities is fluvial, people move through rivers, lagoons and canals that connect with each other, specifically in the Municipalities of Gracias a Dios; Brus Laguna, Ahuas, Wampusirpi and Juan Francisco Bulnes. The duration of the trips can change in summer since it will depend on the seasonality of the river and can vary by the amount of water that the river has from four to seven hours when its waters are very low.

Infrastructure, both public and private, is of fundamental importance for social and economic development in Honduras, as well as for its structuring and integration. It is key to natural emergencies and a rapid and effective response to disasters depends on its quality. Of particular importance are land, air and sea transport, telecommunications and energy.

The country has a road network of 14,420 km, of which 3,280 are paved roads, 2,670 km are considered secondary roads built with selected material, and 8,300 are neighborhood roads according to an analysis by UNDP and SERNA.

The construction and maintenance of infrastructure must contemplate the effects of climate change, with the aim of reducing its impact and extending the useful life of the works, especially those that are most used. It is estimated that the useful life of infrastructure and urban constructions is 70 years, since it is very likely that the existing infrastructure will have to operate in different climatic conditions in the coming decades.

Road networks and energy facilities, ports and airports generate economic competitiveness and attract new investment: businesses and distribution networks depend on infrastructure to be able to produce and distribute goods, both in local and global markets. When damaged, companies incur losses, reduce their production and processing capacity, which often leads to mass layoffs of workers.

In Honduras, road infrastructure is practically non-existent in rural areas, especially on the Caribbean Coast. In many places, roads are not paved and are only passable in the dry period. Instead, a part of the road network is in danger of flooding: the roads with the greatest risk are in the plain of the rivers in the Aguan Valley, the Atlantic coastal plain, the Sula Valley, the Choluteca Valley and the Pacific coastal plains.

According to different analyses, in the coming years greater investment in infrastructure will be required than has been made at any time in the past, due to the actions of climate change.

Seasonal Effects on Storage and Handling
Activity Type	Time Frame	Comments / Details
Storage	From May to November	Moisture and spread of pests in food.
Handling	N/A	N/A
Other	N/A	N/A

Capacity and Contacts for In-Country Emergency Response

GOVERNMENT

The Ministry of National Contingency and Risk Management of Honduras, is an entity created to coordinate public and private organizations regarding disasters and is within the framework of the National Risk Management System of the Republic of Honduras.

In 2009, Decree No. 151-2009 approved the Law on the National Risk Management System (SINAGER). That aims to create the System and constitute the legal framework for the country to develop the capacity to prevent and reduce the risks of potential disasters, in addition to preparing for the response and recovery of damages caused by natural phenomena or those generated by human activities. Both the Law and the Regulations provide for the participation of representatives of various institutions and public and private organizations that, in collaboration and under the coordination of COPECO, are actively involved at the time of emergency response, developing their functions in the competent aspects of the organization they represent. The State Policy for Integral Risk Management of Honduras (PEGIR), approved by Executive Decree NoPCM-051-2013 on October 22, 2013, constitutes the guiding framework. The PEGIR is aimed at conducting the development of processes of strengthening and inter-institutional coordination that contribute to the operation and quality in compliance with the regulatory, financial, plans, national, regional, municipal strategies mediated by the integral risk management that includes the various sectors and at the territorial level, so that they impact these actions in the reduction of conditions of vulnerability for human security. goods and the territorial environment. Similarly, the organizations that are part of the System have in their different legal instruments specific provisions regarding their participation in the response to emergencies and disasters.

There is an early warning system that allows the population to be informed in a timely manner, using mechanisms that activate prevention and response plans.

The National Commissioner of the Ministry of National Contingency and Risk Management of Honduras "COPECO" will declare the states of alert (national, regional and departmental) by means of an agreement, with the support of the information generated by a Scientific Technical Committee (in the case of natural phenomena) and will be disseminated with the purpose that the population and the institutions adopt the specific actions before the situation that arises. present.

COEN Functional Organization Chart

Decision-making at the National Emergency Operations Center is based on:

image-20230831090122-1

image-20230831090136-2

For more information on government contact details, please see the following link: 4.1 Government Contact List

HUMANITARIAN COMMUNITY

Humanitarian coordination in Honduras has been established in accordance with the operational model proposed by the United Nations System as of December 3, 2020.

It is composed of the different actors with a presence in the country and includes, at the strategic and operational levels, the Humanitarian Team, the national authorities represented by COPECO, the sectoral tables established or to be established. These include Education in Emergencies, Food Security, Health, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Temporary Shelter, Shelter Coordination and Management, and Protection, which in turn includes the Child Protection and Gender-Based Sexual Violence subgroups.

Its structure includes the cross-cutting issues of gender, human rights, and cash transfers. Additionally, local coordination teams in Valle de Sula, Copan, Gracias a Dios and Santa Bárbara.

image-20230831090328-3

National Coordination Structure

Sectors have designated focal points to facilitate coordination at the national level.

Sector	Organization	Focus
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene	UNICEF	Gerson Urtecho gurtecho@unicef.org
Emergency Accommodation	IFRC	Lilia Blades coord1.honduras@sheltercluster.org - coord.americas@sheltercluster.org
Shelter Coordination and Management	IOM	Lourdes Ardón lardon@iom.int
Multisectoral Coordination	OCHA	Erlin Palma palmae@un.org
Education	UNICEF/Save the Children	Alejandro López alejandro.lopezsalgado@savethechildren.org
Logistics	LDC	Tania Ochoa tania.ochoa@wfp.org
Protection	UNHCR	Lina Castro castrovi@unhcr.org
Child Protection	UNICEF	Francisco Urbina furbina@unicef.org
Gender-based violence	UNFPA	Ambar Assaf  assaf@unfpa.org
Bless you	OPS-OMS	Alex Padilla padillaale@paho.org
Sexual and Reproductive Health	UNFPA	Silvia Padilla spadilla@unfpa.org
Food safety	WFP-FAO	Hector Cruz hector.cruz@wfp.org
Nutrition	UNICEF	Cintia Paguada cpaguada@unicef.org
Early Recovery	UNDP	Astrid Mejia astrid.mejia@undp.org

Coordination structure in Valle de Sula

Sectors have designated focal points to facilitate coordination at the national level.

For the Sula Valley this is the list of responsible:

Sector	Organization	Focus
Bless you	PAHO-WHO	TBD
Sexual and Reproductive Health	UNFPA	Jose Zepeda jzepeda@unfpa.org
Food safety	WFP-FAO	TBD
Water, sanitation and hygiene	UNICEF	Gerson Urtecho gurtecho@unicef.org
Protection	UNHCR	Jacopo Sarti Widell sarti@unhcr.org
Gender-based violence	UNFPA	TBC
Child Protection	UNICEF	TBD
Shelter coordination and management	OIM	Carlos Galindo cgalindo@iom.int
Education	UNICEF	Ever Alvarenga  ever.alvarenga@savethechildren.org
Emergency accommodation	IFRC / Global Communities	coord1.honduras@sheltercluster.org - Lilia Blades coord.americas@sheltercluster.org
Multisectoral Coordination	OCHA	Maria Puerto / Erlin Palma palmae@un.org

Local Coordination Contacts in Santa Barbara

Jose Luis Pineda, COPECO, 99267484 josepinal1986@gmail.com
Alex Dario Ribera, ADASBA, 99341395 adasbalex@gmail.com
Elsa Lourdes Díaz, Executive Director of ADASBA. Phone: 3161-2671 adasba.honduras@gmail.com

For more information on humanitarian agency contact details, please see the following link: 4.2 Humanitarian Agency Contact List

Honduras - 1.2 Regulatory Departments and Quality Control

Honduras is a State governed by the rule of law, sovereign, constituted as a free, democratic and independent Republic to ensure its inhabitants the enjoyment of justice, freedom, culture, economic and social well-being.

Honduras is a Republic governed by a Constitution for the first time on December 11,1825, this establishes the "three powers" of the State, without relationship of subordination between them.

The Legislative Power is exercised by the National Congress through 128 deputies who are elected by suffrage. They meet in ordinary sessions in the capital of the republic since January 25. Among its attributions are create, decree, interpret, reform and repeal existing laws.

The Judicial Power has the power to impart justice in the towns, free of charge on behalf of the state by magistrate and judges. It is composed of the Supreme Court of Justice, the courts of appeal and the courts by law.

The Executive Power is exercised by the President of the Republic, representing it for the benefit of the population. The President of the Republic and three presidential appointees shall be elected in an organized and direct manner by the people.

RENTAL ADMINISTRATION SERVICE - SAR

It is a decentralized entity attached to the Presidency of the Republic, with functional, technical, administrative and national security autonomy, with its own legal personality, responsible for the control, verification, inspection and collection of taxes, with authority and competence at the national level and domiciled in the Capital of the Republic. Created by legislative decree 170-2016, article 195.

SECRETARY OF FINANCE - SEFIN

It exercises the function of governing and supervising entity of the assets of the State, in terms of the acts of acquisition, disposal, conservation, registration and control of all its assets, in correspondence and collaboration with the Comptroller Agencies of the Public Sector, for the achievement of the adequate and efficient administration.

Listed below are the main entities that exercise control over specific issues such as taxes and customs, food and drug surveillance, transportation, agriculture, mining, etc.

SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE AND LIVESTOCK – SAG

It is the authorized body, for the quality control of the product of animal or vegetable origin and who establishes the requirements in the process of export and import of products.

Its objective is to ensure that national agricultural production is competitive, sustainable and with the capacity to insert itself into the international economy, responding to the needs of the domestic market and integrating into a scheme of human, social and environmental development, based on self-management, community participation, the gender equity approach and the sustainable management of natural resources.

HONDURAS CUSTOMS ADMINISTRATION - DARA

It is the competent administrative body to deal directly with the international traffic of goods, to control and control their passage through the customs borders of the country, to apply the legislation of customs regimes, to determine the taxes to which goods are subject, to control the exemptions granted in legal form and to fulfill the other functions established by law. Chapter I, Customs Law of the Republic of Honduras Decree No. 212-87.

HEALTH REGULATORY AGENCY - ARSA

It is responsible for the supervision, review, verification, control, surveillance and supervision of compliance with legal, technical and administrative regulations of establishments, suppliers, products and services of health interest and those that carry out activities or practice behaviors that affect or may have an impact on the Health of the Population, and the regulation, granting, renewal, modification, suspension or cancellation of registrations, permits, licenses, certifications and other sanitary authorizations.

NATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY SERVICE - SENASA

Responsible for the design, direction, coordination and execution of animal health and plant health programs, issuing rules to guide public and private actions in these matters. To this end, it is responsible for the application of sanitary standards and procedures for the import and export of agricultural products, including the diagnosis and epidemiological surveillance of pests and diseases, the quarantine control of import and export products, the coordination of phyto-animal health programs and campaigns, and the coordination of the different activities related to agricultural health.

The Secretariat of Agriculture and Livestock SAG, through SENASA, is responsible for the organization, execution and control of the authorization of professionals, laboratories, companies for sanitary and phytosanitary programs or actions in the country.

INTERNATIONAL REGIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR AGRICULTURAL HEALTH - OIRSA

It is an intergovernmental institution specialized in the areas of animal health, plant health, quarantine services and food safety. OIRSA was founded in 1953 to provide technical and financial cooperation to the Ministries and Secretariats of Agriculture and Livestock of its member states, in the protection and development of their agricultural resources. This is to ensure healthy and safe food production.

The objective of this body is to support the efforts of Member States to achieve the development of their Animal Health, Plant Health plans and the strengthening of Quarantine Systems. The member states are: Mexico, Belize (joined in 1996), Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and Dominican Republic (joined in 2003).

Honduras - 1.3 Customs Information

Transit Regime

The usual red/yellow/green channel is established. Unprocessed agricultural products will also be inspected by the quarantine office – even if classified as green channel by customs. Documentation should be prepared in advance and be submitted at the earliest moment possible.

There are substantial delays in the import process at Puerto Cortes due to complicated formalities and lack of co-operation of the parties involved - e.g.: A container with unprocessed food requires a combined inspection of customs and quarantine. OPC has to allocate the container at one of the inspection sites. If one official is not present, the container is trucked back to the yard at the expense of the receiving party and the agent has to apply for a new inspection date.

Not all ports are allowed to handle rice – import is restricted to select border crossings (currently only the customs offices at Toncontin in Tegucigalpa, Puerto Cortés and Guasaule [border with El Salvador close to San Lorenzo] are authorised to handle the customs procedures for unprocessed rice).

Customs processes might be completely omitted, if a national emergency has been declared by the government and the relief cargo is consigned to the national contingency organisation COPECO.

The custom’s authority of Honduras employs an entire department to assess the risk associated with each import shipment. Criteria are:

· Type of commodity

· origin of product

· quality of submitted documentation

· professionalism of agency

· trustworthiness of importer.

Currently only the customs offices at Toncontin in Tegucigalpa, Puerto Cortés and Guasaule (border with El Salvador close to San Lorenzo are authorised to handle the customs procedures for rice.

The phone network at the central customs office at Tegucigalpa was not operating at the time of compiling this report (08/2016). The offices can be contacted by mail, though.

Honduras - 2 Logistics Infrastructure

Honduras - 2.1 Port Assessment

Assessed in 08/2016 by Capt. Wolf Lampe, Consultant seconded by BLG LOGISTICS, Bremen, Germany.

The principal port of Honduras is Puerto Cortes (approx. 400 vessels/a). Puerto Castilla (approx. 45 vessels/a) and San Lorenzo (approx. 40 vessels/a) have significantly less throughput. La Ceiba and Tela are cabotage ports used by small embarkations (fishing vessels, very small freighters) only. The passenger jetty of Tela was not assessed. Neither were the small cabotage and tourist ports on the Roatan and the surrounding islands. Lempira was covered due to its strategic position in the otherwise isolated area of Mosquitia Coast.

The assessment mission included the El Salvadorian port of La Union, situated a few kilometres across the border in the Gulf of Fonseca (see LCA El Salvador at logcluster.org). This port is to be considered an option to San Lorenzo if the need to bring in large quantities of relief cargo into Honduras using the Pacific coast arises.

Honduras - 2.1.1 port of Puerto Cortés

Port Overview
Port Picture
Description and Contacts of Key Companies
Port Performance
Berthing Specifications
General Cargo Handling Berths
Port Handling Equipment
Container Facilities
Customs Guidance
Terminal Information
Stevedoring
Hinterland Information
Port Security

Port Overview

Puerto Cortés is handling containers, dry bulk and liquid bulk as well as small amounts of general cargo.

The existing container terminal suffers from an unsuitable layout (long, narrow shape), bureaucratic procedures and – as one of the results of ports procedures a high volume of internal movements generated by the need to open containers for inspection. This checking process has to be coordinated by the agency between operator allocating the container at the inspection site, customs and quarantine (veterinary/agriculture) inspectors. The two governmental agencies have to be present at the same time.

The dry bulk terminal is operated in a professional way by Terminal Especializada de Honduras. Constraints are the low berthing priority of bulk vessels, limited berth space due to reduced availability of new berth and use of berth for ENP-activities as import of liquid bulk (Molasses).

Import of grain by truck (currently no sacking facilities are used).

Port website: http://www.enp.hn/web/puerto-cortes.html

Very basic port information may also be found at: http://www.maritime-database.com, http://ports.com, http://www.worldportsource.com/ , we recommend www.marinetraffic.com to get an idea of what kind of vessels is using the port.

PORT LOCATION & CONTACT
Country:	Honduras
Province or District:	Cortés
Town or City: (Nearest location with distance from port)	Puerto Cortés
Port's Complete Name:	Puerto Cortés
Latitude:	N 15° 50’ 37”
Longitude:	W 087° 56’ 47”
Managing Company or Port Authority: (If more than one operator, break down by area of operation)	Port Authority: Empresa Nacional Portuaria Solid Bulk: Terminal Especializada de Honduras Container: Operadora Portuaria Centroamericana
Management Contact Person:	Terminal Especializada de Honduras: Rafael Ruiz Operadora Portuaria Centroamericana: Valmir Araujo
Nearest Airport and Airlines: (Airlines with frequent international arrivals/departures)	San Pedro Sula at a distance of 66 km

Port Picture

Description and Contacts of Key Companies

Terminal Especializada de Honduras (TEH), a private operator, is handling solid bulk at and around berth 3b. Operadora Portuaria Centroamericana (OPC), also a private operator, is handling containers at berth 5.

Port Performance

Terminal Especializada de Honduras (TEH) has installed 5 silos with a capacity of 8,000 t each close to berth 3b for the short-term storage of organic solid bulk (maize, soya, throughput approx. 120,000 t/a). The silos are connected to the berth by 2 conveyor belts. Cargo is discharged with grabs and chutes owned by TEH and mobile cranes or vessel’s gear (whatever is faster) onto the conveyor belts and/or directly onto trucks.

Non-organic bulk (fertilizer, industrial salt and carbon, throughput approx. 80,000 t/a) is loaded onto trucks and can be stored in a warehouse with 20,000 t capacity and a temporary warehouse with 4,000 t capacity.

The Construction of berth 3a is almost completed and already used for bulk operations using ship’s gear and trucks. Berth 4 is also used for bulk operations when available.

Bulk vessels have a medium turnaround time of 4 days including waiting time for berth space and the obligatory tugboats. The higher priority of fuel causes delays as liquid bulk is handled also on berth 3. The higher priority of fuel and containers affects the availability of tugs and berthing space.

The offices of Empresa Nacional Portuaria are generally open between 07:00 and 16:00 hrs, on Fridays between 07:30 and 14:30 hrs.

SEASONAL CONSTRAINTS
	Yes / No	From <month> to <month>
Rainy Season		May – Oct., impact on discharge operation caused by the accompanying strong winds
Major Import Campaigns		-
Other INSERT OTHER CONSTRAINT(S) IF REQUIRED		June to Nov., hurricane season, main hurricane season starting September

HANDLING FIGURES 2015
Vessel Calls:	1,633
Container Traffic: (TEUs)	623,776

Handling Figures Bulk and Break Bulk	2015
Bulk (MT)	3,000,700
Break bulk (MT)	1,085,200

Berthing Specifications

Type of Berth	Quantity	Length (m)	Maximum Draft (m)	Comments
Conventional Berth	1	250m	12.00 m	not fit for the use of mobile cranes
Container Berth	1	550m	10.50 m
Silo Berth	1	200m	11.50m
Berthing Tugs	4			2 tugs required for berthing – 1 tug for vessels with bow truster
Water Barges				fresh water available through pipeline

General Cargo Handling Berths

Cargo Type	Berth Identification
Imports - Bagged Cargo	berth 4
Exports - Bagged Cargo	berth 4
Imports and Exports - RoRo	berth 5
Other Imports	liquid bulk

Port Handling Equipment

Is the port equipment managed by the government or privately? Port handling equipment is owned and operated privately. Conditions vary.

Equipment	Available (Yes / No)	Total Quantity and Capacity Available	Comments on Current Condition and Actual Usage
Dockside Crane	no
Container Gantries	yes	1	40 tons
Mobile Cranes	yes	5	1 Gottwaldt (40 tons under the spreader, 70 tons under the hook) Additional mobile cranes used for dry bulk operations
Reachstacker	yes	4
RoRo Tugmaster (w/ Trailer)	yes	varying
Grain Elevator w/ Bagging Machines	yes, no bagging machines	1
Transtainer	no
Forklifts	yes	2 forklifts (6 and 8 tons capacity)

Container Facilities

The existing container terminal suffers from an unsuitable layout (long, narrow shape prolonging the internal transport distances) and a high volume of internal movements generated by the need to open containers for inspection. This checking process has to be coordinated by the agency between operator allocating the container at the inspection site, customs and quarantine (veterinary / agriculture) inspectors. The two governmental agencies have to be present at the same time. Co-ordination of the inspections is reported to be suboptimal. Import delays for containers vary widely depending on contents, quality of documentation and general circumstances – up to 30 days are reported, routine operations take 10 to 15 days.

Fumigated containers can not be moved on for the next 72 hours.

The planned port extension will provide a more suitable topography.

Facilities	20/40 ft
Container Facilities Available	75,000 m²
Container Freight Station (CFS)	outside port
Refrigerated Container Stations	4,000m²
Other Capacity Details	-
Daily Take Off Capacity (Containers per day)	approx 250 cont./day
Number of Reefer Stations (connection points)	1800 plugs
Emergency Take-off Capacity (Give an indication)	-
Off take capacity of gang shift (in Containers per shift)	-

Customs Guidance

The usual red/yellow/green channel is established. Unprocessed agricultural products will also be inspected by the quarantine office – even if classified as green channel by customs.

There are substantial delays in the import process at Puerto Cortes which call for a separate assessment of regulations, activities, formalities and co-operation of the parties involved. E.g.: co-ordination of container inspection between customs, quarantine and OPC (allocating the containers at the inspection site) is reported to be suboptimal.

In an emergency scenario the government will facilitate Import of relief cargo by presidential decree. Customs processes might be completely omitted, if the goods are consigned to the national contingency organisation COPECO.

Terminal Information

Multipurpose Terminal

Berth 4 is used for general cargo operations and situated next to the port’s largest warehouse. Cargo is generally moved with vessel’s gear.

Grain and Bulk Handling

The Construction of berth 3a is almost completed and already used for bulk operations using ship’s gear and trucks. Berth 4 is also used for bulk operations when available.

At the time of the assessment no bagging equipment was available.

Main Storage Terminal

Storage Type	Number of Storage Facilities	Area (square meters)
Bagged Cargo	see General cargo
Refrigerated Cargo	none
General Cargo	bodega 4	5,000

Stevedoring

Stevedoring is supplied by the port operators.

Hinterland Information

All cargo is trucked out of the port. Road to San Pedro Sula (60 km) and Tegucigalpa (320 km) in good condition.

Port Security

Level of port security can be described as normal.

Security
ISPS Compliant (Yes / No)	yes
Current ISPS Level	1	Level 1 = Normal, Level 2 = Heightened, Level 3 = Exceptional
Police Boats	1
Fire Engines

Honduras - 2.1.2 Port of La Ceiba

Port Overview

Located in the bordering areas of the Gulf of Honduras, the Port of La Ceiba stands out mainly for the enormous variety of agricultural products it receives.

The small Port of La Ceiba serves small shallow draft coastal vessels that trade with the Bay Islands (Roatan) and La Mosquitia. The ships enter without pilot assistance through a channel of min. 4.2 m deep. Currently the entire warehouse space is used.

Tourism is another main source of income for this port city. Apart from the commercial activity that flows through this port, there is also a maritime service between this city and Roatan that docks at the cabotage dock of these facilities. It has several services such as loading and unloading, storage warehouses, berth and a wide access channel. It has a wide area for possible future expansion of 8,800 m².

You can also find information about key ports at: http://www.maritime-database.com

Port Location and Contact
Country	Honduras
Province or District	Atlantida
Nearest Town or City with Distance from Port	La Ceiba 5.2 km
Full port name	Port of La Ceiba
Latitude	15.79250°
Longitude	-86.76194°
Management Company or Port Authority	National Port Company
Management Level Contact Person	Hector Knight
Nearest airports with frequent international arrivals/departures	Goloson International Airport (Air Transat, Cayman Airways, Sunwing Airlines, Aerolineas Sosa)

Port Performance

Seasonal limitations
	Yes/No	Period
Rainy season	Yes	From May to November
High import season	N/A
Other Comments	June to November is hurricane season; The most critical time begins in September.

Bulk cargo and loose cargo figures 2021
Bulk (mt)	N/A
Loose charge (mt)	800

Discharge Rates and Terminal Handling Charges

For more information on port fees and charges, please consult the following link: https://www.opc.hn/lib/PDF/Tarifario-OPC-01-enero-2023%20NM.pdf

Berthing Specifications

Type of Berth	Quantity	Length (m)	Maximum Draft (m)	Comments
Conventional spring		225	3.5	With dredging project it is expected to reach 5 meters deep

Type of Berth

Quantity

Length

(m)

Maximum Draft (m)

Comments

Conventional spring

225

3.5

With dredging project it is expected to reach 5 meters deep

Honduras - 2.1.3 Port of Puerto Castilla

Port Overview

Located on the north coast of Honduras, the Port of Puerto Castilla was originally established as a shipping location for United Fruit Company. However, currently the port is mainly used as a container terminal for fruit produced by Dole Food Company. A naval base is also located in this small port town.

You can also find information about key ports at: http://www.maritime-database.com

Port Location and Contact
Country	Honduras
Province or District	Colon
Nearest Town or City with Distance from Port	Trujillo 19 km
Full port name	Puerto Castilla
Latitude	15.89083º
Longitude	-86.01444º
Management Company or Port Authority	National Port Company
Management Level Contact Person	N/A
Nearest airports with frequent international arrivals/departures	Juan Manuel Galvez

Port Performance

The port has a cargo capacity of around 104 TEUs and the main export products are fruits, palm oil and bananas. It handles 576 tons of cargo and around 68 container ships a year. The port is close to African palm oil plantations and could soon become the main oil export port.

Seasonal limitations
	Yes/No	Period
Rainy season	Yes	From May to November
High import season	N/A

Traffic figures for 2021
Ship calls	154
Container traffic (TEUs)	102,246

Bulk cargo and loose cargo figures 2021
Bulk (mt)	347,439
Loose charge (mt)	727,186

Handling type	Total landing (thousands of mt)	Total shipment (thousands of mt)	Total
General Cargo	4.55	0	4.55
Container	191.76	471.82	663.58
Liquid Bulk	6.85	340.59	347.44
Solid Bulk	0	0	0
Other	56.80	2.27	59.06
Ro-Ro	0	0	0
Total			1,074.63

Discharge Rates and Terminal Handling Charges

For more information on port fees and charges, please consult the following link: https://www.opc.hn/lib/PDF/Tarifario-OPC-01-enero-2023%20NM.pdf

Berthing Specifications

Type of Berth	Quantity	Length (m)	Maximum Draft (m)	Comments
Conventional Berth	1	225	12
Container dock	N/A
Bulk dock	N/A
Berthing Tugs				There are no tugboats, so ships must use their own equipment to load and unload tanks and containers.
Water Barges	N/A

Port Handling Equipment

Equipment	Available	Total Quantity and Capacity Available	Comments on Current Condition and Actual Usage
Quay crane	No
Container crane	No
Mobile cranes	No
Forklift for containers (Reachstacker)	Yes
Tractors for RoRo (Tugmaster / with head)	N/A
Grain elevator with packing machines	N/A
Transtainer	N/A
Freight elevator	N/A

Terminal Information

MAIN STORAGE TERMINAL

The Port has 2 warehouses with open sides of 3,000 m² each and provides services to bulk carriers, crackers, conventional and container ships. For storage it offers 6 tanks with a capacity of 42,000 gallons.

Honduras - 2.1.4 Port of Lempira

Port Overview
Port Picture
Description and Contacts of Key Companies
Port Performance
Berthing Specifications
Port Handling Equipment
Container Facilities
Customs Guidance
Terminal Information
- Multipurpose Terminal
- Main Storage Terminal
Stevedoring
Facilitated by the vessel’s owner.
Hinterland Information
Port Security

Port Overview

The Port of Lempira, situated at the southern shore of the Caratasca lagoon is the largest settlement in the area and serves as point of entry for goods to be distributed in the eastern part of the department of Mosquitia. Vessels calling at Lempira have to pass the shallow passage from open sea into the Lagoon, which limits the size of vessel used to landing crafts and coastal vessels (actually comparable to medium sized fishing vessels) up to 50 m length, with a load capacity up to approx. 150 t.

The passage into the lagoon shifts constantly, a boat sounding the water depth will guide the vessel through the channel. Daylight and a relatively calm sea is necessary for the manoeuvre, the vessel’s draught is limited to 2.4 m at low tide (tide is given to be 0.5 to 0.75 m).

If the vessel’s draught exceeds this limit and weather permits, lightering will take place at anchor outside the lagoon.

Unloading takes place:

At anchorage close to Lempira’s small boat and passenger jetty (N 15° 16’ 10”, W 083° 46’ 07”). Cargo is man-hauled into boats and landed.
At the small roro-jetty at La Piur (N 15° 12’ 20, W 083° 46’ 05”), 15 km out of town towards the South situated in the Laguna Wahanta. A barrier limits the entry to 2,1 m draught.
The channel south of Kaukira (N 15° 18’ 55”, W 083° 35’ 33”).

At Piur and Kaukira vessels equipped with cranes (currently 2 vessels of the vessels calling Lempira) can use these to lift heavier items ashore. Cargo is mostly transported onward on the extensive network of lagoons, channels and rivers, weather permitting also along the coastline. Sea-going fishing boats, propelled by outboard engines, can carry up to 1.5 to of cargo. Larger boats are also used. A dirt track connects Lempira to some inland settlements and to the border with Nicaragua – though there is currently no bridge crossing the Rio Coco.

Small warehouses or warehouse space can be rented from local traders at Lempira and Kaukira, WFP is using a temporary structure at Lempira.

No website, no key port information is currently supplied by maritime internet sources.

PORT LOCATION & CONTACT
Country:	Honduras
Province or District:	Gracias A Díos
Town or City: (Nearest location with distance from port)	Lempira
Port's Complete Name:	Puerto Lempira
Latitude:	N 10° 16’ 04”
Longitude:	W 83° 46’ 15”
Managing Company or Port Authority: (If more than one operator, break down by area of operation)	Dirección General de Marina Mercante
Management Contact Person:	Jorge Martinez
Nearest Airports
International (Airlines):	Tegucigalpa – Toncontin Airport (United etc.), La Ceiba – Goloson Airport, San Pedro Sula – Ramon Villeda Morales Airport
National:	1.5 km long runway in Lempira, not paved
Military, other Runways:	-

Port Picture

Description and Contacts of Key Companies

WFP and UNDP maintain local representatives.

Port Performance

Of the three discharging sites, operations at Puerto Lempira are the most basic. Very small scale operations, depending on vessel’s gear, landing crafts and manual labour.

SEASONAL CONSTRAINTS
	Yes / No	From <month> to <month>
Rainy Season	yes	May – Oct., impact on discharge operation caused by the accompanying strong winds
Major Import Campaigns	no
Other INSERT OTHER CONSTRAINT(S) IF REQUIRED	yes	June to Nov., hurricane season, main hurricane season starting September

Discharge Rates and Terminal Handling Charges

There are only negligible port charges. Man-hauling cargo is usually charged per item to the vessel, loading and discharging cost are included in the transport cost payable to the shipping company.

Berthing Specifications

The approach to the loading/discharging sites is restricted by the lagoon entrances: Laguna de Caratasca 2.5 m for Lempira and Kaukira, 2.1 m to approach El Piur.

Tide is given 0.5 to 0.75 m.

General Cargo Handling Berths

None.

Port Handling Equipment

Is the port equipment managed by the government or privately?

None.

Container Facilities

None.

Customs Guidance

Import cargo are usually transhipped from another port of entry in Honduras (usually La Ceiba), customs are cleared there. There is, however, a local customs office, office hours Monday to Thursday 09:00 to 16:00 hrs, Friday 09:00 to 15:00 hrs.