Country Briefs

Ports concentrated along the Rio de la Plata and Parana River. Key terminals include Exolgan, APM Terminals, TecPlata, and Terminal Rio de la Plata. Investors include Maersk (Denmark), PSA International (Singapore), and DP World (UAE). Recent IDB projects ARCA and VUCE aim to reform customs and reduce bureaucracy.

Landlocked nation with no seaports. Relies on land crossings managed by customs agency SUMA. Key crossings into Chile (Tambo Quemado, Colchane, Desaguadero) and Brazil (Quijarro). Deals with Chile for Pacific access through Antofagasta and Arica. Currently negotiating access to Puerto Chancay in Peru.

Largest port system in South America. Port of Santos recently acquired 48% by French CMA CGM. Chinese state companies CMPort and COFCO hold stakes at Paranagua and Santos. Amazon river ports (Manaus, Porto Velho, Santara) serve as critical inland gateways. ICTSI investing $175M in Port of Rio.

Pacific ports are key to South American trade, especially for rare earth minerals and agricultural exports. Port of San Antonio co-owned by Chile and DP World (UAE). Valparaiso is the main container hub. Port of Antofagasta has significant potential due to recent major copper find and US hemispheric focus.

Port of Cartagena is a major Caribbean hub. All major ports are Colombian-owned. Border crossings at Cucuta (Venezuela), Ipiales (Ecuador), and Paraguachon (Venezuela) are key for regional trade but have been pivotal in drug trafficking. Port Buenaventura on the Pacific coast is Colombia’s Asia-Pacific gateway.

Port of Guayaquil and DP World Posorja are the main nodes. Posorja performs better than Guayaquil due to proximity to coast and ability to handle larger ships. SENAE manages customs via ECUAPASS platform. IDB EC-L1253 loan of $84M targets customs reform. No LPI data in 2023 due to low survey participation.

Going through an economic transformation following 2015 oil discovery in the Stabroek Block. Operates Port of Georgetown (65k TEUs). US firm Bechtel has proposed a deepwater port at Berbice. Oil boom attracting foreign infrastructure investment. Continuing growth for 5th consecutive year.

Ports positioned on both sides of the Panama Canal. Port of Balboa (Pacific, 2.6M TEUs) now operated by APM Terminals. Port of Cristobal (Atlantic, ~1.2M TEUs) now operated by MSC/TIL after CK Hutchison concessions were ruled unconstitutional. CK Hutchison suing Panama for $2B. Critical transshipment hub for the Americas.

Landlocked, relying on Paraguay River and land crossings with Brazil and Bolivia. Puerto Fenix in Asuncion is the main river port. Ciudad del Este crossing at Brazil-Argentina-Paraguay tri-border is a node for informal commerce. DNIT merging two systems to improve score. IDB financing $200M bioceanic corridor project.

Port of Callao (3M TEUs) operated jointly by APM Terminals and DP World remains dominant Pacific gateway. Puerto Chancay, COSCO-operated mega port (60% China, 40% Volcan), is the first South American port capable of hosting mega-ships too large for the Panama Canal. US State Dept warned Chancay threatens Peru’s sovereignty.

Port sector at a crossroads. Jules Sedney Terminal in Paramaribo (104,000 TEUs) jointly owned by Suriname and DP World (UAE). Port of Nickerie, a river port on the western coast, operated domestically. Suriname experiencing an oil boom following recent offshore discoveries similar to neighboring Guyana.

Terminal Cuenca de la Plata in Montevideo (1.12M TEUs), operated by Belgian company Katoen Natie, serves as a hub for landlocked Paraguay and parts of Argentina. Puerto Nueva Palmira on the Parana River, operated by Greek Navios Maritime Holdings, handles agricultural bulk cargo from the interior.

Ports in crisis. Puerto Cabello, La Guaira, and Maracaibo operated by state-owned Bolipuertos under government intervention since Sept 2024. Puerto Cabello recorded only 272,000 TEUs in 2023. Maduro captured by US forces January 3, 2026. US issuing sanctions relief licenses to restart oil and gas activity.

Overseas territory of France giving it EU status and French institutional oversight — an outlier in the dataset. Three nodes: land border at Camopi, river crossing at St. Laurent du Maroni, and seaport at Cayenne (75,000 TEUs). All French-operated. Customs pressure data not applicable due to French/EU status.