Ferry Between El Salvador and Costa Rica. Image by LA LIBERTAD, El Salvador — A long-promised maritime link between El Salvador and Costa Rica has stalled indefinitely, with Costa Rican authorities declaring the project unviable after no private company agreed to take on the service.
Verny Jiménez, director of the Maritime Port Division at Costa Rica’s Ministry of Public Works and Transportation, told Radio Monumental that the country has failed to secure bidders willing to operate the route between Puerto Caldera and El Salvador’s Port of La Unión.
“haven’t had any other bidders interested in the service,” Jiménez said. “Since there isn’t a private company interested in providing the service, it hasn’t been possible to reactivate it, and for the moment, the project isn’t viable.”
The ferry had been touted for years by the export sector as a way to cut costs and shorten transit times for regional trade.
After multiple failed attempts and logistical setbacks at Puerto Caldera, the Blue Wave Harmony made its first voyage on August 10, 2023, carrying 25 containers—just a quarter of its capacity.
Despite early optimism, the service collapsed just three months later in November 2023, undone by high operating costs and weak demand.
Business associations, such as the Salvadoran Industrial Association (ASI) and the Salvadoran Exporters Corporation (Coexport), have continued to describe the ferry as strategically important. However, efforts to attract new operators have repeatedly faltered.
Costa Rican authorities acknowledged that preliminary talks are underway with Guatemala as an alternative, pointing to Puerto Quetzal as a more suitable port. But officials also cited saturation at Puerto Caldera as a key barrier.
While the governments of El Salvador and Costa Rica remain interested in reviving the route, the lack of private investment has left the plan adrift.
The last ferry trip between the two countries was recorded in November 2023—21 months after the project was first heralded as a breakthrough for regional trade.
The Ferry was a strategic project by the Nayib Bukele administration to strengthen commercial exchange between Costa Rica and El Salvador.
