# Puerto Colon (PAONX)

**UN/LOCODE:** PAONX  
**Country:** Panama  
**Water Body:** Caribbean Sea; North Atlantic Ocean  
**Harbor Size:** Medium  
**Harbor Type:** Coastal (Breakwater)  
**GPS:** 9.3667, -79.8833

Eight berths, more than 2,000 metres of quay, nineteen post-Panamax cranes and over 2,400 reefer plugs give Colón (PAONX) the muscle of a first-rank transshipment hub at the Atlantic mouth of the Panama Canal. The complex groups several large container terminals, led by the SSA Marine–operated Manzanillo International Terminal (MIT) alongside the Colón Container Terminal. MIT alone handles roughly 2.7 to 3.5 million TEU a year, of which close to 88 percent is pure line-to-line transshipment. Immediately adjacent lies the Colón Free Zone, one of the world's largest free-trade areas, which underpins warehousing, re-export and duty-free distribution. Beyond boxes, the port handles roll-on/roll-off vehicles for import and re-export as well as break-bulk cargo. Road and the trans-isthmian railway to Balboa connect the terminals to the Pacific side and the wider hinterland. With links to more than 125 ports worldwide, Colón is built for relay traffic rather than local consumption. Shippers weighing alternatives on the Atlantic side can look to neighbouring Cristobal (PACTB, run by MSC's TiL on an interim basis since 2026) or, depending on the trade, Caucedo in the Dominican Republic.

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

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

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