By Sebastián Betancourt
The Port of San Antonio projects a positive close to this year 2025, supported by rising figures and the completion of a set of initiatives aimed at boosting efficiency in the terminal’s operations.
In this regard, the president of Empresa Portuaria San Antonio (Puerto San Antonio), Eduardo Abedrapo, explained that “we are ending the year in a very positive way in every sense with increases in cargo, improvements in the port, infrastructure works, new facilities, greater oversight in the Customs area, and progress with Puerto Exterior.”
“The truth is that we are having a very successful end to 2025 and the same will be the beginning of 2026, when the Port Community System will begin operations, which will greatly help logistical efficiency and will be an element of digitization for the entire import and export process,” said the head of EPSA.
For his part, the general manager of the state-owned company, Ramón Castañeda, indicated that “for what is coming at the end of the year, the ship calls scheduled for the Cherry Express to China show that it will be an intense season. Last year already was, but the DP World and STI terminals have a growth in the number of ship calls compared to the previous year.”
It is worth remembering that the Port of San Antonio saw a 15% increase in container handling between January and October of the current year with 1,677,299 TEU. In the total cargo mobilized in that period, the maritime facility recorded 19,494,279 tons, which represented a 5% increase compared to the numbers from the same period in 2024.
Regarding the cherry export season that has just begun, EPSA’s projections pointed to a 48% increase in the number of shipments of this fruit to China for the 2025 – 2026 period.
Cruise season
The 2025 – 2026 cruise season at the Port of San Antonio is also underway, as it had its first call on October 30 with the arrival of the ship Seabourn Pursuit at DP World San Antonio.
Regarding the cruise campaign, Eduardo Abedrapo commented that “the cruise season looks promising and we also have to work there to see how the commune of San Antonio takes advantage of this greater arrival of tourists and that it is not just a place of passage, but that they can also enjoy the different alternatives that the province offers which are truly spectacular, but sometimes are not known.”
“There is a certain decrease compared to the previous year, but nevertheless, for our activity, it remains an important number of people who, at least, pass through San Antonio. We have the idea of working with institutions, the tourism industry, and the authorities to enhance it for the future so that they not only pass through San Antonio, but hopefully get to know San Antonio, the province, and its attractions. That is more of a medium-term work, which we are addressing,” stated Ramón Castañeda, for his part.
