# Balboa (PABLB)

**UN/LOCODE:** PABLB  
**Country:** Panama  
**Water Body:** Gulf of Panama; North Pacific Ocean  
**Harbor Size:** Medium  
**Harbor Type:** Canal or Lake  
**GPS:** 8.9500, -79.5667

APM Terminals took over the container business at Balboa on 23 February 2026, running it on an interim basis of up to 18 months after Panama's Supreme Court declared the 1997 concession held by Panama Ports Company (Hutchison Ports) unconstitutional. The Pacific anchor of the Panama Canal and one of Latin America's busiest box ports, Balboa handled roughly 2.63 million TEU in 2024, up 13.7%, and added about 1.3 million TEU in the first half of 2025 (+5%). Five container berths, around 25 quay cranes and more than 3,600 reefer plugs move containers, general cargo, RoRo, and dry and liquid bulk. Much of the throughput is relayed cargo between Asia and the Americas rather than local trade, though Panamanian imports and exports add steady volume. Inland links run via the Pan-American Highway and the trans-isthmian railway, which shuttles boxes across to Colón on the Caribbean side. The adjacent Colón Free Trade Zone simplifies customs and re-export. For Pacific liner connections, Balboa works alongside PSA Panama and the Atlantic gateway at Cristóbal, now run by MSC's TIL.

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*Freight Academy — Seaport Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/seaports/balboa-port-pablb](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/seaports/balboa-port-pablb)*

*Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/seaports/en/balboa-port-pablb](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/seaports/en/balboa-port-pablb)*

*LLM-Summary (JSON): https://www.freight-academy.com/api/v1/seaports/balboa-port-pablb/llm-summary?lang=en*