| options on the table |

#1

What you did not know,

and what you did not have , before the trip, but you know now, and have now…

• That the barge exists

You know that now for sure

• Where the barge is located

You know that now

• If the papers you have seen have any value at all

We converted a mountain of papers that would have been rejected by DIMAR “due to lack of proper signing and stamping” to -

“accnowledegd documents” that have ALL been officially accepted as “authentic barge papers” by three different DIMAR captains.

To the point that you can be sure now, that if the coastguard stops you anywhere you have your "papers in order" in all and any ways.
It took a day (with the help of the nice stamp ladies in notaria 4 who made the stamps fly) it should never have taken 6 months.
#2

Come in with your own tugboats take the barge

Gomez said:

If you come in from Panama you can take the barge without any more to do …

In this case it looks like "zarpe" and "tow plan" are ultra fast track in DIMAR kind of give them a written note that the movement is going on - nothing to check and authorize - the check and authorize part is supposed to be done by the tugboat captain in Panama .
The fact that you come in from sea makes it kind of self evident (for dimar) that you are "capeable to navegate the caribbean" and it is not "business of the colombian DIMAR to certify that you are capeable to navegate the caribbean "
If you are stopped by coastguard and show the barge papers, it is also self evident that it is your property what you are towing.

There is no minimum horsepower requirement so “barnacle” can do it

#3

Serport / Oswaldo

Serport offered us a 38 K package of “wire the money and forget all worry” with one of their “Esperanza Class” towboats.

This package was with a pre-tow inspection by the captain on july 14 and let the barge in linton bay 3 days later so by july 17 all would be finished • they would get tow plan and zarpe by themself as part of the package.
My wife Marcela told Paula Rumie (serport) that the budget of 38 K usd is not on the table, and the the Budget is 20 million pesos / at monday 17 july / paula answered that this budget does not fit in the operation envelope of a "Esperanza Class" towboat and they will pass on this one.

The interresting point when talking to the serport people was that the captain would prefer to deliver to linton bay directly and NOT enter in any other port .

This is especially interresting in the context that serport seems to be the local expert on barge movements from panama to cartagena - so have a LOT of experience in exactly this.

In the light of this new info you might want to reconsider the “puerto obaldia” waypoint of your tow plan. The “local all side accnowledged expert” - serport - for some reason NEVER goes there.

It may have to do with the fact that it is part of Guna Yala. / And the practical experience of doing some kind of paperwork with the Harbor Captain there. Who knows…and who wants to find out the hard way…

It is also of interest that serport is associated with Osvaldo Gonzales from Oceancross | +(507)279-1403 | Osvaldo said that he is already talking to Allan about the movement of the barge San Cristobal.

And the Serport staffers said that it might be more convenient to organize the Tug from Panama with Oswaldo - what matches the info we got from Captain Gomez at Dimar… | website | https://ocean-cross.com/es/nosotros |

Gomez said :

“If you pull it from Panama there is nothing more to do your papers are in order”

So if Allan can get a reasonable and decent offer in the upper bongo segment or in the lower tugboat segment...from Osvaldo or some of his Peers this might quickly become your option A
#4

Benedetti / Cartagena

This offer is still on its way to come in