With just over 1,228 km of coastline and an area of 51,100 km², the Republic of Costa Rica is located in Central America and borders the Caribbean Sea to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Republic of Panama to the southeast, and the Republic of Nicaragua to the north.
It has 8 seaports throughout the country—three on the Caribbean coast and five on the Pacific coast.
The Maritime Port Division (DVMP) is part of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT) and, according to Article 1 of Executive Decree No. 40803-MOPT, part of its mandate is to contribute to strengthening “…the transport sector in accordance with institutional and sectoral plans, policies, and strategies in this area, with the objective of reinforcing the Minister’s authority over Port Administrations and other entities involved in the field.”
It is important to clarify that in Costa Rica, maritime activity is carried out by the Directorate of Navigation and Safety, which is part of the Maritime Port Division of the MOPT, as well as by other authorities with concurrent competencies in the matter.
The national port authority is the MOPT; however, it is important to distinguish that there are two regional port authorities: one on the Caribbean coast (JAPDEVA) and one on the Pacific coast (INCOP).
