# 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 has run the container business at Balboa (PABLB), the Pacific gateway of the Panama Canal, since 23 February 2026 and moved about 1.14 million TEU there in the first half of 2026, down 11.9% year on year. The Danish operator holds an interim mandate of up to 18 months, granted after Panama's Supreme Court declared the 1997 concession of Panama Ports Company (Hutchison Ports) unconstitutional; throughput had reached 2.63 million TEU in 2024, a rise of 13.7%. Carriers began restoring calls from April 2026, though volumes through July stayed below the previous year. Five container berths, around 25 quay cranes and more than 3,600 reefer plugs handle containers, general cargo, RoRo, and dry and liquid bulk. Much of the throughput is relay cargo between Asia and both American coasts rather than local trade, with Panamanian imports and exports adding steady volume. Inland connections run via the Pan-American Highway and the roughly 76-kilometre trans-isthmian railway to Colón on the Caribbean side. The adjacent Colón Free Trade Zone simplifies customs clearance, storage and re-export. Shippers hedging against 2026 disruption look at PSA Panama on the Pacific side or Manzanillo International Terminal (SSA Marine) on the Atlantic, which led the country from January to July 2026 with 1.89 million TEU, up 21.5%.

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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*