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Panama’s Colon Port - highest Latin American box volumes in 2021Panama’s Colon Port - highest Latin American box volumes in 2021

The United Nations’ Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has released its ranking of Latin American ports in 2021 with Panama Caribbean Coast port area leading from a list of 102 terminals.

Michele Labrut, Americas Correspondent

May 30, 2022

1 Min Read
MIT  NOV 2021
Photo: MIT

The Panama Caribbean Coast port area integrated by the ports of Cristobal, Colon Container Terminal (CCT) and Manzanillo (MIT), handled 4.91m teu in 2021, with an increase of 10.3%. In second position was the Port of Santos (Brazil) -which integrates Santos and DP World- with 4,44m teu. Both Colon and the Brazilian entity maintained their 2020 first and second place.

The third place was again obtained by the Panama Pacific Coast ports which, adding Balboa and Rodman-PSA, moved 3.56m teu, up 12.7% compared to 2020. Cartagena, Colombia, also keeps its fourth place with 3.44m teu, up 7.55% and Manzanillo (Mexico), remains in fifth position with 3.37m teu, with an increase of 15.9% when compared to 2020.

The public-use terminals located in El Callao (Peru) werein sixth place, with 2.48m teu, up 10.5% and all the terminals of Guayaquil (Ecuador), that grew 4.4% to 2.6m teu.

The Port of Kingston, Jamaica. once again managed to secure eighth place with 1.97m teu  increasing 22.6%. Maintaining the ninth place was the only Chilean port that grew by 18.2% to 1.55m teu.

Lázaro Cárdenas (Mexico) replaced San Juan (Puerto Rico) in position 10 with 1.68m teu having grown by 58.5% in 2021.

 

 

 

About the Author

Michele Labrut

Americas Correspondent

Michèle Labrut is a long-time Panama resident, a journalist and correspondent, and has continuously covered the maritime sector of Central & Latin America.

Michèle first came to Panama as a press attaché to the French Embassy and then returned to the isthmus as a foreign correspondent in the 1980s.

Author of Seatrade Maritime's annual Panama Maritime Review magazine and of several books, Michèle also wrote for Time magazine, The Miami Herald, NBC News and the Economist Intelligence Unit. She has also collaborated in making several documentaries for the BBC and European and U.S. television networks.

Michèle's profession necessitates a profound knowledge of the country, but her acumen is not from necessity alone, but a genuine passion for Panama.

In 2012 she was awarded the Order of Merit (Knight grade) by the French Government for her services to international journalism and in 2021 the upgrade to Chevalier grade.

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