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Central American port projects are radically transforming regional logistics capacity. With investments that exceed $2.2 trillion needed by 2030 and a 25% growth in public-private partnership projects, the region is positioned as a strategic hub for global trade and nearshoring operations.
Panama Leads Regional Port Expansion
Panama maintains its dominant position with the most developed port complex in Central America. El Puerto de Colón processed 4.869 million TEUs in 2024, remaining #1 in Latin America, while Balboa handled 2.6 million TEUs with a growth of 14%.
Ongoing modernization projects include the expansion of additional berths and gantry cranes in Cristóbal and MIT, scheduled to be completed between 2025-2026. These investments take advantage of the capabilities of the New Panama Canal and the direct connectivity of the Panama Canal Railway, creating unique operational synergies in the region.
The combined system of 9.4 million TEUs represents a growth of 14.2% since 2023, with approximately 90% of transshipment operations capitalizing on new Neopanamax capacities and positioning Panama as the redistribution center for all of Central America.
Costa Rica: Moín Phase 2 and the World's Largest Reefer Terminal
In 2024, Costa Rica completed one of the most innovative port projects in the region. El Puerto Limon/Moín complex reached 1,366 million TEUs, positioning itself as the #10 in Latin America with growth of 3.4%.
La investment of $992 million under DBFO modality created the largest reefer terminal in the world, specializing in pineapples and bananas, with 3,800 reefer connections and 6 Super-Post Panamax cranes. This project represents a milestone in specialized infrastructure for export agricultural products.
La Moín phase 2, planned for 2026-2027, will add an additional 1.5 million TEUs of capacity, expanding total capacity from 1.2 million to 2.5 million TEUs. This expansion matches the record of $4.32 trillion in FDI captured in 2024, where free trade zones accounted for 64.3% of this investment.
Honduras Accelerates Puerto Cortés to 1.9 Million TEUs
Honduras has one of the most dynamic port growth in the region. Puerto Cortés processed 753,000 TEUs with a historic growth of 16.9% since 2019, driven by modernization investments of $140 million.
La Phase 2 of the project, scheduled to be completed in 2025, will bring the total capacity to 1.9 million TEUs. The improvements include capacity for mega-ships of 250-310 meters in length and operations under a 30-year concession managed by ICTSI.
This growth aligns with the Honduras' commercial momentum, which registered a growth of 14.31% and exports of $4.98 trillion, establishing the country as a key player in textiles and specialty coffee, where 30% of U.S. coffee imports dominate.
Guatemala and El Salvador: Strategic Modernization
Guatemala maintains its main port infrastructure in Saint Thomas of Castile, who manages 554,432 TEUs with 913.2 meters of berth front spread over 6 berths. The port processes the 60% of the country's containerized cargo, supporting its position as the largest exporter of goods in Central America with $14.57 trillion.
El Salvador implements the modernization of Acajutla with a budget of $193 million, which includes the recent expansion of the container yard by $8.2 million, improving efficiency by 8%. The port moved 242,307 TEUs in 2022 and benefits from economic growth of 2.6% and the attraction of $759.7 million in FDI in 2023, representing a 4x increase compared to 2022.
Nicaragua Maintains Stable Operations in Corinth
Nicaragua operates Puerto Corinto with a capacity of 43,472 TEUs, maintaining 1,500 TEUs of storage and 3,000 TEUs of transit capacity. Port operations benefit from GDP growth of 4.6% in 2023 and record remittances of $4.7 trillion representing 30% of the national GDP.
PPP Financing Drives Regional Transformation
The financing of port infrastructure in Central America is being accelerated through public-private partnerships. Los PPP projects grew 25% with a 15% increase in total investment between 2022 and 2024, building over $770 billion in private investment over the past 30 years in Latin America.
El Inter-American Development Bank approved $12 trillion in financing for 95 projects with sovereign guarantee in 2024. In addition, CABEI participates in the $1 trillion KorbCIe Infrastructure Fund with $3 trillion in total mobilization including co-financing.
The region requires specific investments from $50 billion for ports, $738 billion for highways and $15 billion for airports within the total of $2.2 trillion needed until 2030, equivalent to 43% of regional GDP in 2019.
Nearshoring Creates $78 Trillion Annual Opportunities
Central American port projects are strategically aligned with nearshoring trends. The estimates of the IDB suggest that nearshoring could generate $78 billion annually in additional exports for Latin America and the Caribbean, with $64 trillion in goods and $14 trillion in services.
Guatemala is positioned as 6th in potential within SICA countries to increase exports by $780+ million from nearshoring, particularly in the automotive, textile, pharmaceutical and renewable energy sectors.
Active investments include American companies such as SanMar ($500 million through 2025), Gap Inc. ($50 million annually through 2025), and Agroamerica ($100 million in Northern Triangle projects). The IDB committed $1.75-2.25 trillion in nearshoring funding for the next three years.
Digitalization Reduces Processing Times
Central American ports implement digital solutions that transform operational efficiency. La Phase 2 of the SIECA Central American Digital Trading Platform is designed to streamline paperwork and facilitate trade within and outside the region.
Guatemala and El Salvador managed to reduce the electronic export license processing from 24 hours to 1.5 minutes, while digital initiatives seek to address 24-hour average border crossings between Costa Rica-Nicaragua.
Impact on Costs and Regional Competitiveness
Port modernization projects address critical competitiveness challenges. Los Panama Canal transit costs range from $475,000 for Panamax to $1,125,000 for Neopanamax at 80% capacity, while the Asia-South America container rates average $9,026 per TEU.
High fuel costs represent 40-60% of variable costs compared to 20% in the U.S. /Canada, and Guatemala experiences 77% return rates for empty containers. Improvements in port infrastructure seek to optimize these critical efficiency indicators.
Conclusions: Strategic Positioning for the Next Decade
Central American port projects represent an unprecedented transformation of regional logistics capacity. The combination of PPP investments with 25% growth, nearshoring potential of $78 trillion, and infrastructure modernization by 2030 positions the region as a vital component of North American supply chains.
Las planned expansions in Moín (1.5 million additional TEUs), Puerto Cortés (1.9 million total TEUs), and continuous improvements to the Panamanian system of 9.4 million TEUs will create new opportunities for companies seeking to optimize their business operations and take advantage of the region's competitive advantages.
The CAFTA-DR framework with $83.4 trillion in annual trade, the free zones generating 60% of regional exports, and the e-commerce approaching $180 billion provide strong foundations for capturing emerging opportunities in manufacturing, digital services and cross-border trade.
Is your company ready to take advantage of the opportunities of Central American port modernization? Request a specialized consultancy to optimize your logistics strategy in the region.
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