Seaports Overview
The seaport complex specialized in containerized cargo that includes three terminals in the Atlantic side and two in the Pacific side handled 8.32 million TEUs in 2023. A high level of connectivity between the port complex and the main centers of production and consumption involves a total of 56 liner services mainly dedicated to the transshipment operations. Transshipments represent approximately 88% of the yearly throughput of the complex.
The Atlantic cluster made up of Manzanillo International Terminal (MIT), Colon Container Terminal (CCT) and Cristobal have a total of 22 berths, 45 quay cranes and 90 RTGs1 , while the Pacific cluster made up of Balboa and the new PSA Panama International Terminal has 10 berths, 37 quay cranes and 56 RTGs.
With over 8,000 reefer plugs, these five seaports rank Panama as the number one country in Latin America in terms of operating quay cranes (82 in total). The Pacific cluster can accommodate up to 5 Neopanamax and 2 Panamax simultaneously, while the Atlantic cluster can handle in total up to 5 Neopanamax and 8 Panamax simultaneously.
Containers can be transferred between the Pacific and Atlantic clusters by either rail or truck; however inadequate road infrastructure limits the logistics performance of truck transfers between ports and other destinations.
1 RTGs: Rubber Tyred Gantry Cranes