Por Sebastián Betancourt
Puerto Panul, a specialized terminal for the discharge of clean bulk at the Port of San Antonio, is working on a project to optimize its operational capacity through the complementary use of the FAM and Ardelt brand cranes owned by the port facility located in San Antonio, the increase of storage spaces, and the expansion of rail transport to move bulk cargo.
According to the environmental impact declaration submitted to the Environmental Assessment Service (SEA), the initiative “consists of the complementary operation of the FAM crane – which has a capacity of 700 /h – and the Ardelt crane – which has a capacity of 400 /h – to achieve a total capacity of 1,100 /h”.
“Thus, the Ardelt crane will be annexed to the operation of the FAM crane, using both cranes simultaneously during operation under normal port conditions. Additionally – it contemplates – the incorporation of ten new silos for temporary storage, as well as the increase in the number of train loads with the aim of reducing the use of truck transport”, according to the document.
The document explained that, currently, “the terminal has five silos with an individual capacity of 80 cubic meters, representing a total storage volume of approximately 400 cubic meters. However, in situations where trucks are unavailable or during the final discharge of a vessel, the system faces operational limitations due to the lack of a temporary storage solution, which interrupts the continuity of the transfer process during vessel repositioning”.
Puerto Panul experienced an increase in the volumes of cargo handled, which in 2025 reached 3,451,646 tons, a figure that represented an all-time high in discharges. The amount recorded last year represented a 5% increase compared to the 2024 period and, furthermore, surpassed the previous best record corresponding to 2020.
It should be recalled that the company’s concession to operate Site 8 of the Port of San Antonio will end on January 1, 2030, and, so far, the future of the facility is unclear, since the original plan of the Empresa Portuaria San Antonio was to return the area to the city for tourism development with an extension of the Paseo Bellamar.
