Central American ports moved 183.1 million metric tons and grew shipping by 10.6% in 2021

At the end of 2021, Central American ports moved 183.1 million metric tons of ocean freight. This volume of goods represents an increase of 10.6% over the previous year, while the movement of containers was registered as 13.3 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). This figure is an increase of 11.4% over the previous year. These numbers exceed all historic highs, including those of 2019, before the pandemic. This information is according to data provided by the Central American Maritime Port Statistical Information System, which is collected by the Central American Maritime Transport Commission (Cocatram).

Central American ports have grown steadily over the last 15 years

Jose Dopeso, Director of Maritime and Port Affairs of Cocatram, referred to the results when he pointed out that “during the last 15 years, Central American ports have experienced a steady growth trend. This is because they have managed to meet and adapt to the demands of their corresponding markets for both local cargo and transshipment”.

The countries with the highest increase in cargo volume were Guatemala with 15.0%, Honduras with 12.9%, and Nicaragua with 12.8%. However, the most significant variation in absolute values was recorded by Panama, with 8.7 million metric tons in 2021.

Regarding the mobilization of containers at Central American ports, the countries with the highest increase, compared to 2020, were El Salvador at 28.9%, Honduras at 17.8%, Guatemala at 12.9%, and Panama at 11.2%.

In this area, Dopeso highlighted that “the participation of global port operators, together with the investments in their specialized terminals, has allowed them to reach heightened levels of regional growth. As a result, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama experienced significant volume growth.”

Downward trends at Central American ports have been reversed

The terminals that registered significant increases were Colon Container Terminal (CCT), with 47.1%, and Panama Ports Company Balboa (PPC Balboa), which managed to reverse the downward trend registered between 2014 – 2019. PPC Balboa generated gains of 8.5 % in 2020 and 19.4% in 2021.

In terms of absolute values, Manzanillo International Terminal (MIT) in Panama has maintained its regional leadership for over four consecutive years, with 2.8 million TEUs. MIT, PPC Balboa, CCT, and the rest of the container terminals in Panama are mainly involved in transshipment activities. Within these facilities, the movement of local cargo was 11%  of all traffic, while 89% of goods were involved in transshipment operations in 2021.

The operations of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica reflect another dynamic, with a regional average of 6% of transshipment/transit cargo and 94% of local freight in the mobilization of containers in 2021. The leading local cargo operators in the region include APM Terminals Moin, Puerto Cortes, and Puerto Quetzal.

Fewer vessels ship more cargo

The increases in cargo movements contrast with the decrease in the arrival of ships, which has experienced a downward trend in the region during the last ten years. This difference becomes more noticeable in the reduction of container ship calls to Central America from 10,718 in 2019 to 9,751 in 2021. The latter figure is the lowest during the last ten years.

Otto Noack, Executive Director of Cocatram, referred to the information presented in this article by stating that “the availability of this data is thanks to the joint work of the Central American Maritime Port Statistics Network members.”