Port Overview

The facilities of the Port of Barranquilla are located along the Magdalena River. Most of the docks and piers are private and are not intended for cargo handling by third parties. The multipurpose Maritime Terminal and BITCO container terminal are operated by Sociedad Portuaria Regional de Barranquilla S.A. (SPRB). Both are located approximately 10 nautical miles (18 km) upstream on the west bank of the river. Additionally, a multipurpose terminal operated by COREMAR is located on the opposite coast near the Palermo settlement.

A spout at the mouth of the river reduces the depth to less than 9m, which currently must be constantly dredged to achieve the 11m depth required. Currently, the Panamax ships with 50,000 MT of cargo capacity can transport a maximum of 35,000 MT to reduce draft. Practical piloting and tugging is mandatory for all ships over 200 tons, both available 24 hours. The pilot will board the ship at the pre-established point approximately 3 nautical miles from the mouth of the river (Bocas de Ceniza). Another half mile upstream is the new Pumarejo Bridge (Length 3,237 m Width 38 m.) Inaugurated in December 2019 with this new infrastructure, the height of the ships that can pass underneath is 45 meters. 

Port website: http://wwwpuertodebarranquilla.com/

Key port information may also be found at: http://www.maritime-database.com

Port Picture

Description and Contacts of Key Companies

 The companies operating within the port area are the largest and most active in the supply chain, most of them are private companies due to recent policies of the present administration. For more information on port contacts, please see the following link: 4.4 Port and Waterways Contact List.

 Port Performance

The maritime terminal on the west bank is one of the largest multipurpose terminals in all of Colombia, operating a 1,000 m long pier. The containers are handled by mobile cranes in the main terminal and gantry cranes in the affiliated terminal BITCO CONTAINER TERMINAL, 500 m downstream. It has 5 of the 12 warehouses, connected to the automatic grain unloading system, 132,000 MT of storage capacity (plus 77,000 tons outside the port perimeter) for grain, with discharge rates of up to 8,000 tons / day. The Port of Barranquilla handled 1.6 Million tons of grain in 2017. Bagging operations are carried out regularly throughout the berthing area. At the Maritime Terminal, controlled temperature storage is available through a modern 3,200m² refrigerated warehouse.

For more information please go to: https://www.supertransporte.gov.co/

As historical, the year 2018 can be qualified for the Port of Barranquilla, Sociedad Portuaria, who report a cargo movement of 5,235,881 tons, a figure that it had never reached in its 82 years of operation.

Discharge Rates and Terminal Handling Charges

For information on port rates and charges, please see the following link: http://puertodebarranquilla.com/index.php/tarifas-2/  

*Terminal Handling Charges (THC) calculation template by private Shipping Line Hamburg Süd:  https://ecom.hamburgsud.com/ecom/es/ecommerce_portal/tariffs_and_surcharges/thc_calc/ep_thc_calculator.xhtml

Berthing Specifications

Additional dock for river operations, 550 m long, depth given 12 feet.

General Cargo Handling Berths

Port Handling Equipment

Container Facilities

Customs Guidance

DIAN is the customs authority in Colombia. If the commercial value of an import exceeds USD 1,000.- it is recommended to hire the services of a customs agent for the procedure. The customs procedures, by decree 2685 and MUISCA regulations stipulate that:

1. All cargo on board a ship bound for Colombia must be indicated on the cargo manifest.
2. Manifests and BLs must be registered with the Customs system (MUISCA), twelve (12) hours prior to the arrival of the ship.
3. Any cargo not indicated in the cargo manifest may not be landed. If it were, it would be immediately confiscated by the customs authority.

The customs procedure can take from 1 to 3 days, depending on the level of inspection assigned. In Colombia, the customs authority is the most influential institution in the nationalization process. Customs procedures may be affected by delays or technical problems in the DIAN system, verifying its statistics or verifying documentary procedures omitted by the importer / exporter. It is recommended to constantly monitor the cargo and obey the instructions of the customs officials as long as they are legal and correct.

DIAN foresees special import procedures in case of emergencies. Under this modality the load can be consigned to the final recipient without any process. 

For more information on customs in Colombia, please see the following link: https://www.dian.gov.co/

https://muisca.dian.gov.co/WebArancel/DefConsultaEstructuraArancelaria.faces#

Terminal Information

Multipurpose Terminal

General cargo is handled through one (1) mobile port crane and self-supporting boom of the ship, especially at docks 3 and 4.

Grain and Bulk Handling

The grain can be maneuvered through the grain elevator, achieving up to 550 tons / hour, connected to the five (5) sheds or by collection. The unloading capacity using the four (4) spoons (crane) and delivery in truck hopper is up to 8,000 tons / day, as indicated. The terminal has 12 front loaders, 3 backhoe loaders, 12 Shute type equipment and 11 electrohydraulic spoons. In addition, there are six (6) warehouses with a total capacity of 77,000 tons located outside the port perimeter. Almagrario is the largest operator of bulk cargo within the terminal.

Main Storage Terminal

Container Terminal BITCO, SPRB

Since October 2018, the BITCO Terminal is operated by SPRB, under the same administrative modality as the Maritime Terminal (http://www.bitco.puertoenlinea.com.co/other/WhoAreWE.xhtml). There are two (2) piers with a total length of 300m, north pier 180m long and indicated depth of 12m, southern pier 120m long with indicated depth of 12.5m. The unloading at the north quay is carried out by means of three (3) gantry cranes. The container yard has 37,000 m2 with a capacity of 2,900 TEU's and a 2,000 m² warehouse.

Multipurpose Terminal COREMAR, Palermo

The Coremar terminal is operated by Sociedad Portuaria Palermo S.A. Its main activity consists of the movement of general cargo, containers and bulk. The cargo is handled by the ship's self sustained cranes and a mobile port crane.

Discharge Rates and Terminal Handling Charges (THC): http://www.palermosociedadportuaria.com/en/rates.cfm.

Stevedoring

Stowage and stevedoring  operations are carried out by private companies, classified and regulated by the state. The ratio and ranking of operators is determined according to the type of activities and services they provide to the terminals (cargo handling, piloting, practical, tug, dredging stored in port and others)

Hinterland Information

Thanks to the Magdalena River, the country's goods can be transported to and from the Barranquilla port to leave or enter the country. The port and surrounding industries provide the majority of employment opportunities in the city. From Barranquilla there is an immediate road connection to the main cities of the country and to the main cities of Venezuela. The city is located in the enclave of the two main trunk roads in the country: the Troncal del Magdalena, which begins in Bogotá and ends in Barranquilla, and the Troncal del Caribe, which begins in Paraguachón (border with Venezuela) and ends in Medellín , a road that passes through the city. Both trunks also connect to Cali and the west of the country through the Troncal de Occidente (also called Vía Panamericana), which ends at the border with Ecuador.

Port Security

A 24-hour surveillance along the entire length of the river between the mouth and the terminal, allows local authorities to provide a better security service to ships in the port, as well as pilot scheduling, when navigating within the navigation channel. and, finally, it also helps to reduce any possible piracy to vessels anchored in the middle of the current. The Port of Barranquilla acquired the first non-intrusive inspection equipment inside a terminal, these high-tech devices consist of a cargo scanner, a pallet and package scanner, and a trace scanner (explosives and chemicals detection device). With the use of scanners, inspection times by supervisory authorities are expected to exceed 24 hours, which takes an average physical inspection of 15 minutes, making the inspection non-intrusive.