Growth in Panama's Port Container Traffic in 2025

The total container traffic in Panama's ports grew by 3.6% in 2025 compared to the previous year, reaching 9,915,357 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), according to preliminary data from the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP). The busiest port of 2025 was again SSA Marine MIT, known as the Port of Manzanillo (Caribbean), operated by the U.S. multinational company SSA Marine. With 2,861,352 TEUs handled, it showed a 5.5% increase compared to 2024 (2,712,653 TEUs). The second-largest port was Balboa (Pacific), operated by Panama Ports Company (PPC) of Hong Kong's CK Hutchison Holdings. Its volume was 2,676,768 TEUs, a 1.8% increase from the previous year (2,629,435 TEUs). The third-largest was Colon Container Terminal (CCT), located on the Atlantic and operated by Taiwan's Evergreen Group. It handled 1,736,582 TEUs, a 10.2% increase from 2024 (1,575,475 TEUs). Cristóbal (Atlantic), also owned by PPC, registered 1,210,528 TEUs, 9.4% more than in 2024 (1,107,006 TEUs). PSA Panama International Terminal, owned by Singapore's PSA International and known as the Port of Rodman (Pacific), was fourth with a volume of 1,354,708 TEUs, a 2.1% decrease from the previous year (1,384,250 TEUs). While most ports saw growth, Bocas Fruit Co., known as Port of Almirante, saw a sharp 53.1% drop, handling only 75,419 TEUs. This contrasts with a 107.6% growth in 2024, when the port reached 160,952 TEUs. According to official statistics published on the AMP's website on Friday, July was the month with the highest cargo volume in 2025 at 881,648 TEUs, followed by October (872,157 TEUs) and December (852,773 TEUs). The lowest volume was recorded in February at 717,142 TEUs. The drop at Almirante is attributed to a union strike from April to June, which caused the collapse of the region's vital banana industry. The overall increase in cargo volume in 2025 is significantly lower than the 15.1% recorded in 2024. This is occurring amid the volatility characteristic of world trade due to U.S. tariff policy and conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war. It is also noteworthy that the sale of over 40 terminals, including the Balboa and Cristóbal ports, for approximately $23 billion to a consortium of the U.S. fund manager BlackRock and Terminal Investment Limited (TiL), the shipping arm of MSC, has been stalled by China in the context of a geopolitical battle with the United States.