On July 26th, 1864, a company was founded under the name of “COMPANIA DE AGENCIAS DE COSTA RICA”, by a great number of local personalities, involved mainly in the import/export business, but also in the banking and political affairs of Costa Rica. The main object of this company was to manage shipping and custom brokerage activity.

Since the infrastructure of our country was very primitive and inadequate at this time, the government subscribed, in 1890, a contract with the “Northern Railway Company”, a British company, to build a railway and the respective wharfs, in the ports of Limon, in the Caribbean Coast and Puntarenas/Carrillo, in the Pacific Coast. Our company was in turn contracted, by the British company, to handle all shipping business including the loading and unloading of cargo. This contract was signed by Mr. Roberto Jimenez-Saenz as representative of our company.

In 1893, Northern Railway Company, having concluded the construction of the railways and piers, decided to terminate the contract and to undertake themselves the shipping activity. As can be easily understood, our company faced a tremendous competitor. The newly imposed tariffs, made it extremely difficult to survive. This prompted the shareholders meeting of 1894, to dissolve the company in view of an eminent bankruptcy. It was at this meeting that two of the shareholders, Mr. Felipe J. Alvarado and Mr. Roberto Jimenez-Saenz suggested the take over of the company and in 1895, the name of the company was change to “Felipe J. Alvarado y Compania Sucesores de Agencias y Comisiones, Sociedad Anonima”, later shorten to its actual name.

The two founders waged an honorable and relentless battle against this formidable trans-national. It was this fighting spirit which proved to be the decisive element which permitted this company to survive until the present day, having struggled through two world wars, the Great Depression, not to mention innumerable international conflicts, which have affected humanity and our country, throughout all these years.

Today, our company has become a single family owned enterprise and it is chaired and directed by Mr. Roberto Jimenez-Soto, grandson of Mr. Roberto Jimenez-Saenz.

As a management company we have created a number of “sister” companies, which today represent a most solid and respected group. Although we are involved in wide rage activities, such real state and representation of different international companies, we are still dedicated full time to the shipping and brokerage activity and to related shipping concerns such as the Protection and Indemnity (P&I). At present and for

P&I mutual offering coverage in our country. This protection activity has now expanded to the rest of the central American and Caribbean region, including Mexico and Panama.

At present we act as general agents for Hyundai Merchant Marine and in general and container cargo, with many Tramp operators. Eukor Ltd., is handled for the car carrier business. This last company is result of the recent merge between Hyundai and Wallenius Lines. We also represent, Western Bulk Carriers and others and also many tanker lines calling port Moín, which is our oil / chemical pier.