The UN’s conference on trade and development, (UNCTAD) named Colombia’s Cartagena de Indias port as the best in Latin America, and ranked it amongst the best in the Americas.
The naming took place after an evaluation from Port liner shipping connectivity index (PLSCI) was published for 2024’s final quarter, and ranked Cartagena’s port as the fourth best port in the Americas. It ranked above American ports in Charleston, Oakland and Los Angeles.
Globally, the index is dominated by Asian ports, as Shangai’s maritime facility is ranked as the best port in the world, followed by Ningbo-Zhoushan (China), Singapore and Busan (South Korea).
The top port in the Americas is the port of New Jersey/New York, which is considered to be the standard given its infrastructure and capacity, which allowed it to handle a container throughput (TEUs) of close to 7.2 million in 2024.
Cartagena de Indias, best port in Latin America
Cartagena’s port received the distinction from the UN for two terminals that belong to the Puerto de Cartagena Group, Regional Port Society of Cartagena, and Contecar.
The port of Cartagena continues to consolidate itself as a key hub for global commerce, with the docking of MV Madrid Express, a container ship with a capacity of 12,562 TEUs from Hong Kong.
The vessel became the first to dock at the Grupo Puerto de Cartagena as part of the US2 service of the Gemini Cooperation, a global alliance between the shipping companies Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk.
The US2 service route connects the ports of Ningbo (China), Shangai, Busan (South Korea), Cartagena (Colombia), Norfolk (USA), and New York. Additionally, Gemini Cooperation aims to optimize the efficiency and connectivity of 87 ports all over the world.
Alfonso Salas Trujillo, who is the manager of the Cartagena Port Group said, “We are one of the 14 strategic hubs worldwide chosen by these major shipping lines to operate a revolutionary route in international maritime transport. We are pleased to reaffirm that we are significant players for our clients, thanks to our globally recognized efficiency and the work we have carried out over these 31 years of operations.”