Guatemala
2.1.2 Guatemala Port of Barrios
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Port Overview

Puerto Barrios is located at East Coast Central America, Gulf of Honduras in Guatemala at coordinates N 15° 43' 56.09" - W 088° 36' 26.08". The official UN/Locode of this port is GTPBR. It is also known as PTO BARRIOS,BARRIOS,PBARRIOS Access to the port is done via the Santo Tomas de Castilla Port access channel. The Amatique Bay is used as the anchor area. The breakwater concrete pier handles containerized cargo, general cargo, liquid bulk and dry bulk cargo. The types of ships which can moor are: cruise ships, container ships, tankers, barges, general cargo ship, roll on-roll off cargo and vessels other than the above. 


The direction of the pier is to the west. There are four berths: Berth #1 (South) 155m, #2 (South) 140m, #3 (North) 175m and #4 (North) 65m.  The draft berths of both South and North of the pier is 9.50m. 

With the exception of Berth #4 is used for roll-on roll-off and tugs docking port, the other berths are used for container ships, bulk liquids and solids and general cargo. 

The port has storage areas for containers (refrigerated, dry) as well as storage areas for vehicles. The port has a capacity for 2,440 TEU’s. There is no storage area for bulk cargo; therefore grains need to be directly transferred to the trucks. 

There are 3 shifts which operate from 07:00 to 16:00, from 16:00 to 23:00 and from 23:00 to 07:00 giving 24 hour attention to vessels. Administrative staff works from Monday to Friday, 07:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 17:00 

Port website:https://puertobarrios.net/ 

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

Port Location and Contact

Country

Guatemala

Province or District

Izabal

Nearest Town or City

with Distance from Port

Puerto Barrios

km: 2 KM

Port's Complete Name

Terminal Ferroviaria Puerto Barrios

Latitude

15.72778 (N 15° 43' 42")

Longitude

-88.59444 (W 088° 36' 26.08") 

Managing Company or Port Authority

Chiquita Guatemala, S.A. and/or  COBIGUA - Portuaria Puerto Barrios,  operator of  Terminal Ferroviaria Puerto Barrios 

Diagonal 5, 10-65 zona 10, Centro Gerencial Las Margaritas, Torre 1, nivel 19, oficina 1902, Guatemala City 

Terminal Ferroviaria Puerto Barrios 

9ª Calle, entre 1ª y 2ª Avenida, Puerto Barrios, Izabal.  

Management Contact Person

Superintendente Abel Cruz Calderón. 

Other contact: Andrés Vargas jefe de logística  

@Chiquita Latam 

Edwin de Paz edepaz@chiquita.com 

Nearest Airport and Airlines with Frequent International Arrivals/Departures

Airport Name: Puerto Barrios Airport (PBR) (Aeropuerto Internacional de Puerto Barrios) 

Airlines: TAG, Transportes Aereos de Guatemala (Charter) and Private planes.  COBIGUA has a weekly flight for company personnel.  Contact port superintendent to request permission to fly in this aircraft.

Port Picture


Description and Contacts of Key Companies

The loading/unloading goods of handled is by the port’s operations personnel who supervise the labourers. Private companies carry out stevedoring operations on board of the ships. 

Three private companies provide transport services from the quay side to the storage areas. Those companies, and the port management, own and operate front loaders and forklifts to move the cargo and containers in the yard. 

An indoor area is used for the stripping of containers for Customs (SAT) revision. The port also counts with a parking lot for loaded trucks waiting for the SAT inspection. There are also three container storage areas for export outside the port area, two of them specifically used by DOLE Company and one by COBIGUA. 

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

Port Performance

Puerto Barrios is a small port, but woks very efficiently.  Average waiting time is less than 5 hours if vessels are included in the weekly   program. For humanitarian cargo, contact the port superintendent. 

The maximum length of the vessels recorded to having entered this port is 226 meters. The maximum draught is 11.1 meters. The maximum Deadweight is 63495t. 


Seasonal Constraints


Occurs

Time Frame

Rainy Season

Yes

May to October

Major Import Campaigns

Yes

 Nov to April

Other Comments Load line zone: North Pacific Seasonal Tropical Area, Tropical Mar 1 to Jun 30 and Nov 1 to Nov 30, Summer Jul 1 to Oct 31 and Dec 1 to Feb 28/29. 

The types of vessels regularly calling at PUERTO BARRIOS are Container Ship (47%), General Cargo (18%), Oil/Chemical Tanker (18%), Reefer (2%), Reefer/Containership (2%). 

Guatemala, cargo volume movement by type of cargo (Thousands of MT) year 2021 


Handling Figures for 2021

Vessel Calls

602

Container Traffic (TEUs)

547,667 (479,667 in 2020)

Handling Figures Bulk and Break Bulk for 2022

Bulk (MT)

1,324.46  (5,036.13 in 2021) 

Break bulk (MT)

N/A

Source: Empresas Portuarias de Centroamérica y Autoridad Marítima de Panamá 

Discharge Rates and Terminal Handling Charges

THC rates are highly variable. Please check rates on case by case basis. 

THC/L - Terminal Handling Charge in Port of Loading, Puerto Santo Tomas De Castilla (GTZST), Puerto Barrios (GTPBR): 20',40'&40'HC: USD 145  40' reefer  USD 195 (Effective : 25/03/2022) 

Berthing Specifications

Type of Berth 

Quantity 

Length 

(m) 

Maximum 

Draft (m) 

Comments 

Conventional Berth 

1 pier, 4 berths 

See comments 

9.5m 

There are four berths: Berth #1 (South) 155m, #2 (South) 140m, #3 (North) 175m and #4 (North) 65m. 

Container Berth 

N/A 

 

 

 

Silo Berth 

N/A 

 

 

 

Berthing Tugs 

 

 

 

1 (2 engines of 2,974 HP) 

 

1 (957 mt) 

 

1 (859 mt) 

Water Barges 

1 

 

 

 

Port Barrios shares part of the Puerto Santo Tomas access channel.  It is located in the entrance of the bay of Amatique (15° 57' 8" North 88° 37' 24’’ West), 2 km towards the West (15° 53 ' 36") it has a turn of 90º degrees. The channel has draught restriction of 11m, length of 10.7 km and a width of 90m 

The direction of the pier is to the west. There are four berths: Berth #1 (South) 155m, #2 (South) 140m, #3 (North) 175m and #4 (North) 65m.  The draft berths of both South and North of the pier is 9.50m. 

With the exception of Berth #4 is used for roll-on roll-off and tugs docking port, the other berths are used for container ships, bulk liquids and solids and general cargo 

Channel: 31-35 feet, 9.4-10 m Cargo Pier: 16-20 feet, 4.9-6.1m. Oil Terminal: 16-20 feet, 7-9m 

Max size: LOA 183M.   Max draft:  9.5m.  Mean Tide: 1 foot Anchorage: 26-30 feet, 7.1-9.1m 

The port has facilities for handling bananas, grain, fertilisers and oil. 

The port has storage areas for containers (refrigerated, dry) as well as storage areas for vehicles. The port has a capacity for 2,440 TEU’s.  

There is no storage area for bulk cargo; therefore grains need to be directly transferred to the trucks. 

General Cargo Handling Berths

Cargo Type

Berth Identification


Imports - Bagged Cargo

Berth #1, #2, #3

Exports - Bagged Cargo

Berth #1, #2, #3

Imports and Exports - RoRo

With the exception of Berth #4 is used for roll-on roll-off and tugs docking port, the other berths are used for container ships, bulk liquids and solids and general cargo 

Other Imports

There is no storage area for bulk cargo; therefore grains need to be directly transferred to the trucks.

Port Handling Equipment

Equipment 

Available 

 

Total Quantity and Capacity Available 

Comments on Current Condition and Actual Usage 

Dockside Crane 

No 

 

 

Container Gantries 

No 

 

 

Mobile Cranes 

Yes  

03 Liebherr / 124 ton ea. 

LHM 420, for ships in the Post-Panamax class. Mobile harbour crane raises and lowers loads at up to 120 metres per minute. The LHM 420 has a maximum load capacity of 124 tonnes and handles up to 38 containers per hour. It is also suitable for the efficient handling of bulk cargoes, and general cargoes. All three 03 cranes are operational 

Reachstacker 

Yes  

12 

 

RoRo Tugmaster (with Trailer) 

Yes  

82 

 

Grain Elevator with Bagging Machines 

No 

 

There is no storage area for bulk cargo; therefore grains need to be directly transferred to the trucks. 

Transtainer 

No 

 

 

Forklifts 

Yes  

19 

9 x 4t, 8 x 3t, 2 x 10t 

Container Facilities

Facilities 

20 ft 

40 ft 

Container Facilities Available 

2,440 TEU’s 

450,000 TEU’s annual capacity 

- 

Container Freight Station (CFS) 

N/A 

 

Refrigerated Container Stations 

250 / 600 

 

Other Capacity Details 

 680 trucks in/out daily 

24 inspection ramps 

 

Daily Take Off Capacity  
(Containers per Day)  

114 containers / day 

 

Number of Reefer Stations  
(Connection Points) 

1100 plug stations 

 

Emergency Take-off Capacity  

114 containers Max. 

 

Off take Capacity of Gang Shift  
(Containers per Shift)  

N/A 

 

Customs Guidance

Puerto Barrios is a Temporary Customs Warehouse (DAT) for @SATGT.  When all necessary documentation is presented to the customs authorities and OIRSA, https://www.oirsa.org/  the cargo release process will take an estimate of 5 or 6 days from the time the vessel arrives until cargo is release.   The Government of Guatemala has launched since May 2021 a new project with the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation that will simplify, standardise, and digitise documentation and procedures at its major ports, with benefits that can ripple across its economy. Shipping companies, terminal operators, and captains will spend less time meeting administrative demands when ships arrive, dock at, or leave Guatemalan ports. For the public sector, the switch to automated processes will ease the controls performed by customs, health, agriculture, and immigration authorities and permit more effective coordination. The time saved by improving authorisation and inspection processes can allow ports to receive more ships and save operators as much as USD 3,000 in operational costs per hour for each vessel. Delays in port arrivals and departures stemming from incorrect paperwork and discoordination among several actors can cost ships their place at port berths and lead to late fees and time lost in loading or unloading cargo. 

Puerto Barrios Customs 

Within the Puerto Barrios seaport on 9th Final Street, Colonia Las Champas, Municipality of Puerto Barrios, Department of Izabal. Tel. (502)7948-0595, (502)7948-0132, (502)7948-2375, (502)7948-1554 and (502)7948-7943. 

Services provided: Dispatch of goods (import, export and transit). 

Open from, to: In the administrative area: from Monday to Friday, from 08:00 to 16:00. 

In the operational area: Monday to Sunday, from 07:00 to 23:00. Extraordinary services are authorized from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Delegation Entre Ríos: From Monday to Sunday, from 06:00 to 18:00. 

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

Terminal Information

MULTIPURPOSE TERMINAL

No information available

GRAIN AND BULK HANDLING

There is no storage area for bulk cargo; therefore grains need to be directly transferred to the trucks. The port has handling facilities for discharge grain and bulk directly from ship, but no bagging equipment. 

MAIN STORAGE TERMINAL

The Port of Barrios has no functional storage space for dry cargo.

Storage Type

Number of Storage Facilities

Area (m2)

Bagged Cargo

N/A


Refrigerated Cargo

6

2,250 pallets

General Cargo

N/A


Stevedoring

The stevedoring services are subcontracted by Puerto Barrios.  Fees are already included in the port tariffs. The loading/unloading goods of handled is by the port’s operations personnel who supervise the labourers. Private companies carry out stevedoring operations on board of the ships.  Stevedoring services can be coordinated directly with companies such as Serpa or Omarsa, and they will organize the vessel unloading.  

Hinterland Information

Heavy and light vehicle access to the terminal in/out is normally done through the main avenue Avenida de Puerto Barrios. Inside the terminal premises three private companies provide transport services from the quay side to the storage areas. Those companies, and the port management, own and operate front loaders and forklifts to move the cargo and containers in the yard. An indoor area is used for the stripping of containers for Customs (SAT) revision. The port also counts with a parking lot for loaded trucks waiting for the SAT inspection. There are also three container storage areas for export outside the port area, two of them specifically used by DOLE Company and one by COBIGUA. 

Port Security

Non-intrusive X-ray inspection system for containers. Since 1990, Puerto Barrios has continually increase security in the port premises. In 2004 the port implemented the international code of Vessel Protection.  Also the port has CCTV in all port premises, access control, Vessel Monitoring (AIS), Canine unit. 

Security

ISPS Compliant

YES

Current ISPS Level
(Level 1 = Normal, Level 2 = Heightened, Level 3 = Exceptional)

1

Police Boats

YES

Fire Engines

YES

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