Puerto Industrial Aguadulce Coal Terminal
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Puerto Industrial Aguadulce is a multipurpose port located on the Península de Aguadulce, near the Port of Buenaventura on Colombia's Pacific coast. The port received its first container vessel in late 2016[1] and began processing coal in 2017.[2] Puerto Aguadulce's coal terminal exports primarily metallurgical coal to Asian markets.[3]
Location
Background
In March 2017, Sociedad Puerto Industrial Aguadulce S.A. announced the inauguration of the state-of-the-art Puerto Industrial Aguadulce, a project of Colombian port operator Compas.[3][2] The new terminal, with a draft of 15 meters[4] and a 600-meter quay, was equipped with four Super Post Panamax cranes and a modern encapsulated conveyor belt system capable of loading vessels of up to 80,000 tons.[3] In October 2017, the terminal loaded a cargo of 56,000 tons of metallurgical coal bound for Japan; in early 2018 it was scheduled to load its first Panamax shipment of 70,000 to 73,000 tons.[5]
Since its inauguration, Aguadulce has been considered the most modern terminal in the Colombian Pacific due to its mechanized system for loading coal.[4] The port has 110,000 tons of coal and coke storage capacity and a daily coal loading capacity of 24,000 tons per day[3], with the capacity to accommodate Panamax, Handymax, and Supramax vessels.[6] The port also holds an environmental license with operational controls for air quality, water quality, and particulate matter.[4]
As of 2025, Aguadulce was the only operating coal export terminal on Colombia's Pacific coast, following the indefinite closure of the nearby Grupo Portuario Buenaventura Coal Terminal for alleged environmental violations. Coal exports from the Aguadulce terminal jumped 55% year over year, from 513,686 tonnes in 2024[7] to 796,111 tonnes in 2025.[8]
Annual coal throughput statistics 2017-2025
- 2017 110,071 tonnes[2]
- 2018 353,078 tonnes[9]
- 2019 382,064 tonnes[10]
- 2020 319,737 tonnes[11]
- 2021 441,972 tonnes[12]
- 2022 488,080 tonnes[7][12]
- 2023 546,051 tonnes[7][12]
- 2024 513,686 tonnes[7]
- 2025 796,111 tonnes[8]
Service disruptions
During nationwide anti-government protests in 2021, the Aguadulce terminal reached maximum container capacity, forcing vessels to be rerouted to the SPR Buenaventura terminal.[13]
Project Details
- Operator: Compas S.A.[2]
- Concessionaire: Sociedad Puerto Industrial Aguadulce S.A.[8]
- Location: Península de Aguadulce, Colombia[4]
- Capacity: 2.5 Mtpa (million tonnes per annum)[4]
- Status: Operating[8]
- Start year: 2017[3][2]
- Type: Exports[4]
- Source of Coal: Colombia
Articles and resources
References
- ↑ "ICTSI/PSA-Colombia’s Aguadulce terminal begins operations", Seatrade Maritime News, December 5, 2016.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Informe de Gestión 2017 (pp 26, 57)" (PDF). COMPAS. 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Se inauguró Puerto de Aguadulce, uno de los más grandes y modernos del Pacífico", Sociedad Puerto Industrial Aguadulce press release, March 8, 2017.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 "Aguadulce". COMPAS. Retrieved 2026-09-24.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Colombia's Compas expects Pacific port to load first Panamax with coal", Platts Marine, November 21, 2017.
- ↑ "Rising coking coal exports pressure Colombian ports". 2018-09-04. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 "Informe de Gestión 2024 (p 167)" (PDF). COMPAS. 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "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) - ↑ "Informe de Gestión 2018 (p 22)" (PDF). COMPAS. 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Informe de Gestión 2019 (p 26)" (PDF). COMPAS. 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Informe de Gestión 2020 (p 66)" (PDF). COMPAS. 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "Informe de Gestión 2023 (p 39)" (PDF). COMPAS. 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "National Strike in Colombia - implications for the shipping industry". Steamship Mutual. May 13, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
