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International Cooperation Department
Tel.: (+86-21) 65853850-8034
Fax: (+86-21) 65373125
E-mail: ICDept@sisi-smu.org
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Ports |
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| Cartagena port is Caribbean's largest transshipment hub |
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Date:2023-10-17 Readers:
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COLOMBIA's main export port the Port of Cartagena Group (SPRC), which connects over 840 ports in 140 countries, has become the largest hub and most connected port in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to UK's Seatrade Maritime News.
SPRC operates three port facilities and provides a full range of port, transport, and logistics services, as it includes subsidiaries associated to tugboat operations, river and land transportation, cruise operations, stevedoring, and other logistics services representing yearly corporate sales of over US$370 million and a total container throughput of more than 3 million TEU.
Volume wise, in 2022 SPRC total throughput was down 6.5 per cent to 3.14 million TEU from 3.36 million TEU in 2021 which was "a very good year".
"In general, 2022 was a big mess, we had lot of operational challenges, vessels omitting massively or missing their berthing windows, lots of roll overs, high storage bills, it is a paradox, all these troubles mean money, so financially it was a very, very good year, but for all the wrong reasons!" said Giovanni Benedetti, vice president of business development for the Port of Cartagena.
And to date the paradox continues: "We are doing basically the same overall throughput, but with a difference, imports down 18 per cent, exports about the same of last year, no growth, and transshipment growing again. It seems that this year will end with a new record for our transshipment volumes," notes Mr Benedetti.
Cartagena is Hapag Lloyd's main hub in the region and an important terminal for CMA-CGM, Maersk-Hamburg Sud and for ONE Line. Cosco and Zim have started some transshipment operations at Cartagena.
While several port operators in the region register blank sailing and service disruptions, Cartagena does not seem affected according to Mr Benedetti.
"As from May 2023, we can now say that most services are running in time and within their berthing window, so stability is good and now carriers have the time to look at their networks and see if there is space for synergies in optimizing and restructuring them. As well, some new services are expected to start calling Cartagena as from August and September this year, which will add even more connectivity and volumes to our port and customers.
"We are glad that we have been recognized by UNCTAD for three years in row, as the port with best connectivity in the Americas and obtained the fifth place world-wide (First in the Americas) of the Standard & Poors Container Port Productivity Index (CPPI)."
After its expansion, a few years ago, Cartagena has seen constant growth, even during the pandemic, but enlargement is also 'in constant growth' and necessary.
"We just started planning and designing a new 230 metre-berth extension for our Contecar Terminal, possibly adding four additional gantry cranes to reach a total of 17 and increasing TEU capacity by about 1 million TEU to reach 4.5m TEU in Contecar and a combined capacity of over 6.2 million TEU for our two facilities," he explained.
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