APM Terminals Quetzal Open for Business

Container terminal operator APM Terminals inaugurated its new terminal Quetzal in Guatemala on November 21.

APM Terminals Quetzal has a capacity of 340,000 TEUs and is a 85%/15% joint venture between APM Terminals and The IFC – World Bank.

The operator has invested USD 180 million in the terminal and has plans for an additional USD 145 million to be invested over a 19 year period.

“Every country wants access to a competitive port – and we are proud to design our new container terminal around the country’s growth needs and Guatemalan businesses. APM Terminals Quetzal will play a strategic role in Guatemala’s economic future and competitiveness in world markets,” Henrik Lundgaard Pedersen, APM Terminals Chief Commercial Officer, said.

As the country’s newest Pacific gateway port, APM Terminals Quetzal is ensuring exports of sugar, fruits and vegetables, coffee, grains, fertilizer, fish, cotton, textiles and tobacco, handling half of Guatemala’s exports.

Guatemalan ports handled a combined 1.57 million TEUs in 2016, surpassing Costa Rica with 1.34 million TEUs for second place in Central America, after Panama, with its Canalassociated transshipment ports at Colon and Balboa, which handled 6.25 million TEUs in 2016, among the Central American nations.