{"id":515837,"date":"2026-07-16T17:11:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T21:11:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.net\/en\/uncategorized\/panamanian-ports-move-more-than-4-9-million-teus-amid-the-transition-of-balboa-and-cristobal\/"},"modified":"2026-07-16T17:11:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T21:11:14","slug":"panamanian-ports-move-more-than-4-9-million-teus-amid-the-transition-of-balboa-and-cristobal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/uncategorized\/panamanian-ports-move-more-than-4-9-million-teus-amid-the-transition-of-balboa-and-cristobal\/","title":{"rendered":"Panamanian ports move more than 4.9 million TEUs amid the transition of Balboa and Crist\u00f3bal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The cargo movement in Panamanian ports<\/strong> maintained its growth<\/a> trend during the first six months of 2026. Between January and June, the National Port System<\/strong> handled 4,915,466 TEUs (20-foot containers),<\/strong> an increase of 1.8% compared to the same period in 2025.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The performance occurred<\/strong> amidst one of the greatest institutional changes the sector has experienced in decades: the exit of Panama Ports Company (PPC)<\/strong> from the Balboa and Crist\u00f3bal<\/strong> ports following the Supreme Court of Justice ruling that declared unconstitutional the contract, its addenda, and the extension that kept the subsidiary of the Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison<\/strong> in charge of both terminals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although growth was moderate compared to the previous year, the figures from the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP)<\/strong> show that the system once again reached a recent high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>In the first semester of 2024<\/strong>, 4,750,876 TEUs were moved; in 2025 the figure increased to 4,829,562, and this year it reached 4,915,466 TEUs, consolidating a positive trend<\/strong> driven by the recovery of maritime trade<\/strong> and the strengthening of transshipment operations<\/strong>, the main activity of Panamanian ports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Balboa and Crist\u00f3bal are operating under temporary administrations while the Government defines the definitive model for both concessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We recommend reading: Mulino highlights alliance with Mexico and asks for support for the neutrality of the Canal<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The monthly evolution was irregular, but it ended with a quite solid close<\/strong>. June became the most active month<\/strong> of the semester, with 876,499 TEUs, even surpassing January, which had started the year with 865,677 TEUs<\/strong>.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lowest point<\/strong> was recorded in February, when the movement fell to 697,585 TEUs, before regaining sustained momentum<\/strong> between March and June. That recovery made it possible to offset the decline at the beginning<\/strong> of the year and close the semester with figures higher than those of 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the system’s growth was not uniform across the terminals. SSA Marine MIT consolidated its position once again as the port with the highest<\/strong> movement in the country by handling 1,610,841 TEUs, an increase of 23.1% compared to the previous year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also highlighted was Col\u00f3n Container Terminal<\/strong>, which handled 981,246 TEUs, an increase of 19.8%, while PSA Panama International Terminal reached 742,238 TEUs, with a growth of 5.4%<\/strong>. Between the three terminals, they more than compensated for the<\/strong> decline recorded in Balboa and Crist\u00f3bal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transshipment continues to be the main driver of the Panamanian port system and concentrates the majority of container movement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The behavior was very different in the two ports managed until March by Panama Ports Company. Balboa,<\/strong> at the Pacific entrance<\/strong> of the Panama Canal, recorded 1,143,984 TEUs, a decrease of 11.9%, while Cristobal, on the Atlantic, moved 409,685 TEUs, which represented a drop<\/strong> of 34.9%, the largest among all<\/strong> terminals in the national port system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That performance coincided with the transition process<\/strong> initiated after the decision of the Supreme Court of Justice, which declared the 1997 concession contract, the subsequent addenda and<\/strong> the extension approved in 2021 for Panama Ports Company to be unconstitutional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ruling, published in the<\/strong> Official Gazette on February 23 of this<\/strong> year, allowed the State to regain control<\/strong> of the Balboa and Crist\u00f3bal terminals and opened a new chapter for two of the most strategic ports<\/strong> in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of that process, the Government appointed<\/strong> temporary administrators for a period of 18 months. The operation of the port of Balboa was placed in the hands of APM Terminals Panama<\/strong> S.A., through a 26.1 million dollar contract for the operation, maintenance, and management of the Pacific terminal.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the port of Crist\u00f3bal came to be managed by TIL Panam\u00e1 S.A.<\/strong>, a subsidiary of Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC),<\/strong> under a $15.8 million agreement to maintain operations<\/strong> on the Atlantic coast while the definitive concession model<\/strong> is defined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vehicle movement also increased during the first semester, reflecting the dynamism of the Panamanian logistics platform. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reorganization also transcended the purely logistical sphere<\/strong>. The departure of PPC sparked a new focus of<\/strong> tension between Panama and China, after Chinese government authorities questioned the decisions adopted by<\/strong> the Panamanian State regarding a company linked to the CK Hutchison group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Panama, for its part, has maintained that the measures respond exclusively<\/strong> to compliance with the Supreme Court ruling and respect for the constitutional<\/strong> order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMP figures also show that system growth<\/strong> continued to be supported by transshipment, which accounted for 4.35 million TEUs, while local cargo reached<\/strong> 537,315 TEUs, an increase of 9.7% compared to the first half of 2025, reflecting a greater movement of<\/strong> goods destined for the Panamanian market and national exports<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another indicator that confirmed the sector’s dynamism was the movement of vehicles<\/strong>. Between January and June, 90,301 automobiles passed through Panamanian ports, a growth of nearly 24% compared to the same period of the previous year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also read: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The greatest boost came<\/strong> once again from SSA Marine MIT, while Balboa increased vehicle shipments<\/strong> and PSA maintained a positive trend, partially offsetting the<\/strong> lower activity recorded in Crist\u00f3bal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the port system managed to close the semester with a new recent record<\/strong> in container movement, the second semester will be marked by a quite complex challenge<\/strong>: maintaining growth while the temporary administration of Balboa and Cristobal advances and the Government defines the future of two terminals considered<\/strong> key pieces for Panama’s logistics competitiveness and for an interoceanic route through<\/strong> which nearly 3% of global maritime trade<\/strong> passes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The cargo movement in Panamanian ports maintained its growth trend during the first six months of 2026. Between January and June, the National Port System handled 4,915,466 TEUs (20-foot containers), an increase of 1.8% compared to the same period in 2025. The performance occurred amidst one of the greatest institutional changes the sector has experienced […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133556,"featured_media":515838,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-515837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/phj1q1-2abX","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/DQBYLMJ5PJECLO7EREHZFSKAB4.avif","dum_api":{"author_name":"Yerandi Santana","author_image":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cropped-WhatsApp-Image-2026-02-13-at-5.35.07-PM-96x96.jpeg","categories_name":["Uncategorized"],"featured_media_url":"https:\/\/cdn.deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/DQBYLMJ5PJECLO7EREHZFSKAB4.avif"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/515837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/133556"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=515837"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/515837\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/515838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=515837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=515837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=515837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}