SPR Santa Marta Coal Terminal
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The Sociedad Portuaria Regional de Santa Marta (SPR Santa Marta) is a multi-purpose port in Santa Marta, Magdalena department, Colombia, with separate terminals for containers, bulk goods, general cargo and coal.
The SPR Santa Marta Coal Terminal , operated by Carbosan, is the port's dedicated coal terminal. It is also known as the Carbosan coal terminal.
Location
Background
The SPR Santa Marta Coal Terminal (a division of Sociedad Portuaria de Santa Marta) is operated by Carbosan, which is in turn controlled by the Colombian-subsidiary of Dutch port operator LBH Group.[1]
The Carbosan coal terminal handles coal exports for various Colombia-based mining companies that lack their own ports. Coal handling infrastructure includes a 250,000-tonne storage yard and a direct loading system featuring a 34,000 tonne-per-day ship loader, an enclosed conveyor belt system, and facilities for receiving up to 38 trucks per hour.[2] The terminal features a 47-foot deep harbor with a maximum berthing displacement of 75,000 Mt.[1] According to Colombia's national mining agency, the port has the capacity to handle 6 million tonnes of coal exports per year.[3]
Companies that have historically used Carbosan's port services include Goldman Sachs, which exported coal via Carbosan prior to acquiring Rio Cordoba coal port from Vale in 2012[4], and Pacific Coal, which signed a two-year deal with Carbosan for use of its port services in 2013-2015 while awaiting the opening of the new Puerto Brisa coal terminal.[5]
Carbosan's direct loading facilities were also suggested as an option for Colombian coal giant Drummond in late 2013 when it became apparent that the direct-loading facilities under construction at Drummond's own port would not be ready in time to meet the government-mandated deadline of January 1, 2014.[6]
In 2020 and 2021, coal exports at Santa Marta decreased due to the economic impact of the pandemic,[7] a drop in international prices[8], and the cessation of operations at Prodeco's La Jagua and Calenturitas mines, which had historically done some business with the port. In subsequent years, business has rebounded, but not to pre-pandemic levels.
Coal throughput statistics
- 2017 2,912,992 tonnes[9]
- 2018 3,008,283 tonnes[10]
- 2019 2,224,323 tonnes[11]
- 2020 989,627 tonnes[12]
- 2021 457,184 tonnes[13]
- 2022 1,155,975 tonnes[14]
- 2023 1,067,095 tonnes[15]
- 2024 729,989 tonnes[16]
- 2025 821,427 tonnes[17]
Expansion Projects
According to a 2012 company report, Carbosan's long-term development plans for the period 2013-2033 were broken down into Phase 4, which would involve construction of a 16km railway to bring coal to the port (replacing or supplementing the existing system of truck deliveries), and Phase 5, which was to involve construction of an additional deep water pier capable of receiving capesize ships and loading coal at rates greater than 5000 tons per hour. Cost was estimated at $105 million for Phase 4 and $70 million for Phase 5.[18] Both of these expansion projects appear to have been abandoned.
Project Details
- Operator: Operadora de Carbón de Santa Marta S.A.S. (Carbosan)[19]
- Owner: Sociedad Portuaria de Santa Marta S.A.[2][19]
- Location: Santa Marta, Magdalena department, Colombia
- Annual Capacity (Tonnes): 6 million[3]
- Status: Operating[17]
- Start Year: 1993[20][21]
- Type: Exports
- Coal source: Colombia
Articles and resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Santa Marta". LBH Colombia. Retrieved 2026-09-22.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Terminal de Carbón". Puerto de Santa María Sociedad Portuaria.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Colombia: Diversidad Minera (p 27)" (PDF). Agencia Nacional de Minería. 2022-08-31.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Goldman Sachs front-runner for Vale's Colombian coal ops", El Economista, February 14, 2012.
- ↑ "Colombian Coal Prepares for Canal Expansion", Coal Age, November 22, 2013.
- ↑ "Drummond seeks Colombia coal loading extension", Argus Media, December 9, 2013.
- ↑ Caracol Radio Santa Marta (2020-08-13). "Operaciones del Puerto de Santa Marta han sido estables durante la pandemia". Caracol Radio (in español). Retrieved 2021-07-21.
- ↑ Aliados Caracol (2021-07-21). "Puerto de Santa Marta arroja cifras de operación para la reactivación". Caracol Radio (in español). Retrieved 2021-07-21.
- ↑ "Boletín Estadístico Tráfico Portuario en Colombia Año 2017 (p 18)" (PDF). Superintendencia de Puertos y Transporte. 2018-08-31.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Boletín Estadístico Tráfico Portuario en Colombia Año 2018 (p 17)" (PDF). Superintendencia de Puertos y Transporte. 2019-02-28.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Boletín Estadístico Tráfico Portuario en Colombia Año 2019 (p 17)" (PDF). Superintendencia de Puertos y Transporte. 2020-02-28.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Boletín Estadístico Tráfico Portuario en Colombia Año 2020 (p 17)" (PDF). Superintendencia de Puertos y Transporte. 2021-01-31.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Boletín Estadístico Tráfico Portuario en Colombia Año 2021 (p 17)" (PDF). Superintendencia de Puertos y Transporte. 2022-02-28.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Boletín Estadístico Tráfico Portuario en Colombia Año 2022 (p 18)" (PDF). Superintendencia de Puertos y Transporte. 2023-02-28.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Boletín Estadístico Tráfico Portuario en Colombia Año 2023 (p 17)" (PDF). Superintendencia de Puertos y Transporte. 2024-02-29.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Boletín Estadístico Tráfico Portuario en Colombia Año 2024 (p 17)" (PDF). Superintendencia de Puertos y Transporte. 2025-02-28.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Boletín Estadístico Tráfico Portuario en Colombia - Enero a diciembre de 2025 (p 18)" (PDF). SuperTransporte (Superintendencia de Transporte). 2026-02-28.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Expansión y Operaciones de Carbosan". Sociedad Portuaria de Santa María. 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Informe de Sostenibilidad 2018 (pp 7-8)" (PDF). Puerto de Santa Marta Sociedad Portuaria. 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "El puerto y su historia". Puerto de Santa Marta. Retrieved 2026-09-23.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Determinación del impacto generado por el polvillo del carbón, sobre la calidad del aire, en la zona de influencia de sociedad portuaria del distrito de Santa Marta". Universidad del Magdalena. 2007.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
Related GEM.wiki articles
External resources
External articles
- "Colombia’s Coal War heats up", source unclear, September 18, 2007.
