Port Overview

Bocas Fruit Company, Ltd., is located at the Port of Almirante of the municipality of Changuinola, province of Bocas del Toro. The port due to its location in Almirante Bay has natural protection and its maritime facilities consist of a dock of reinforced concrete slabs 304 meters long and 28.95 meters wide.  The dock provides two piers and depths of 11 meters.

The Terminal of Bocas Fruit Company, Ltd., is currently operative and is responsible of shipping bananas produced at the farms of the district of Changuinola, which are owned by Chiquita Panama.

Shipments are dispatched in two modalities: 

• Fruit in Cargo Hold, transported in refrigerated containers from the farm of origin to the port, to later be taken out in pallets (each pallet has 48 boxes), and are placed at the dock platform from where they are then stacked into the cargo hold with a special cage using the ship cranes.
• Fruits on Deck, transported in refrigerated containers from the farm of origin to the Port, said containers are then loaded on board using the ships crane gear.

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

Port Image  

Source: Rodríguez, Reines (2020). Maersk Shipping incorporates services in Port Almirante, Bocas del Toro. Extracted on 18 March from: ensegundos.com.pa 

Description and Contacts of Key Companies

The Terminal is found inside of Port Almirante.

Phone: + (507) 758-3821

For more information on port contacts, please see the following link: 4.4 Port and Waterways Companies Contact List. 

Port Performance 

Maritime access is done through a navigational channel which leads to the State Dock and other berths at Bay Almirante, it has an approximate length of 18.4 nautical miles and a variable depth, wherein its minimum depth is 16.3 meters. Waiting time between arrival and docking varies, averaging a little more than 1 ship per week, it does not take more than a day. Presently the port is not congested.  Due to the geography of the area and given the actual market conditions, operations are normal. 

The terminal granted through concessions sustain internal protocols and communication with the Panama Maritime Authority, Customs Authority, Maritime Health, National Aeronaval Service, National Immigration Service and other first responders to adequately attend to a humanitarian contingency.

Chart 2 – Results for 2018 and preliminary figures reported to the Statistics Department of the Panama Maritime Authority for 2019. 

Berth Specifications

On-Site Cargo Handling Equipment

The equipment is managed and operated by the Terminal Bocas Fruit Company.

Source: External Audit Office of Port Protection achieved by the Department of Port Protection of the Directorate of Ports and Auxiliary Maritime 2019

Source: External Audit Office of Port Protection achieved by the Department of Port Protection of the Directorate of Ports and Auxiliary Maritime 2019

Container Facilities

The total port area is 77,790 m², of which 8,823 m² are harbor.  The port does not have a covered storage area.  It’s an open container yard, which has a station area for refrigerated containers and also has available 20 patio chassis.   

Source: External Audit Office of Port Protection achieved by the Department of Port Protection of the Directorate of Ports and Auxiliary Maritime 2019

Customs Guidance 

The National Customs Authority is responsible of the supervision, inspection and verification of activities related to the reception, loading/unloading, entry/exit, storage and transit of all cargo that enters the port.  Customs services time depends on the complexity of the operation, considering that ships load/unload directly with their cargo gear and cranes.

Customs Office and Hours

Location:         Offices inside of the Terminal of Bocas Fruit Company in Port Almirante 

Hours:              8:30am. - 3:30pm. - 11:00 pm. 

Phone:             758-4163 

Zone:                North-West

For more information on customs in Panama, please see the following link: 1.3 Customs Information.

Stevedoring 

The main activity of stevedoring consists in loading and unloading containers through two “Liebherr” brand gantry cranes which has improved terminal output.  These cranes were implemented during 2019, replacing the ship’s crane gear.   

Operations are administered by Chiquita Panamá, LLC. The company in total has a workforce of approximately 400 to 500 employees, and it is an important employer in Bocas del Toro. 

Hinterland Information

The movement of cargo to hinterland is carried out in refrigerated containers transported in mule trucks from the farms of the District of Changuinola onto the port facilities.  Common modes of transport, capacity and companies available to move cargo, include 18 wheelers and various types of forklifts for cargo handling.

Port Security  

The Terminal Bocas Fruit Company, Ltd., holds the Statement of Compliance for Port Facility under provisions of chapter XI-2 of SOLAS Convention and International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (PBIP- ISPS). The Panama Maritime Authority sustains regular follow-ups with the Terminal’s Security Workforce, and statistics are received about safety incidents, which have been minimal.