UN/LOCODE: SVAQJ📍 El Salvador
Port of Acajutla (UN/LOCODE SVAQJ)
❖ Coordinates: 13.5957°N, -89.8271°E
❖ Time Zone: America/El_Salvador
❖ UN/LOCODE: SVAQJ
## About the Port
Acajutla (UN/LOCODE: **SVAQJ**) is El Salvador’s principal maritime gateway and the country’s only deep‑water port capable of handling containerized, bulk, and liquid cargoes. Situated on the Pacific coast in the department of Sonsonate, the port lies at 13°35′45″ N, 89°49′37″ W (13.5957 ° N, ‑89.8271 ° E) within the America/El_Salvador time zone (UTC‑6). Its strategic position on the Central American isthmus provides a direct sea‑lane link between the Pacific Rim and the intra‑regional markets of Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the interior of El Salvador. The port operates under the authority of the Comisión Ejecutiva Portuaria Autónoma (CEPA), which oversees infrastructure development, safety regulations, and commercial concessions. Acajutla’s modern terminal facilities, coupled with its proximity to the Pan‑American Highway (CA‑1) and the Río Lempa watershed, make it a critical node for both import‑dependent industries and export‑oriented agriculture, particularly coffee, sugar, and textiles.
## History
The origins of Acajutla date back to the pre‑colonial period when indigenous Pipil communities used the natural harbor for fishing and coastal trade. Spanish colonizers recognized the anchorage’s potential in the early 16th century, establishing a modest customs post to regulate the export of cacao and indigo. Throughout the 19th century, the port remained a secondary outlet compared to the larger Atlantic‑facing ports of Puerto Barrios (Guatemala) and Puerto Cortés (Honduras), primarily handling small‑scale coffee shipments.
A turning point arrived in the 1940s when the Salvadoran government, under President Maximiliano Hernández Martínez, initiated a modernization program that included dredging the entrance channel to a depth of 9 meters and constructing a concrete wharf. The post‑World War II era saw increased foreign investment, notably from United Fruit Company, which utilized Acajutla for banana exports.
The 1970s and 1980s brought further expansion: a 250‑meter marginal quay, a 12‑hectare storage yard, and the installation of a 30‑tonne gantry crane. During the Salvadoran civil conflict (1980‑1992), port operations were intermittently disrupted, but the facility retained its strategic importance due to its relatively protected location.
In the 2000s, CEPA launched a series of Public‑Private Partnership (PPP) projects aimed at transforming Acajutla into a regional logistics hub. The most recent milestone was the 2018 completion of a new 350‑meter container terminal equipped with two Super Post‑Panamax cranes, raising the port’s annual container capacity from 150,000 TEU to over 400,000 TEU. Continuous upgrades to navigational aids, including a modern Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) and differential GPS coverage, have solidified Acajutla’s reputation as a safe, efficient gateway for Pacific‑coast trade.
## Infrastructure & Facilities
Acajutla’s port area spans approximately 85 hectares, comprising distinct zones for containers, general cargo, bulk, liquid hydrocarbons, and roll‑on/roll‑off (Ro‑Ro) traffic. Key infrastructure elements include:
- **Navigation Channel**: Maintained at a depth of 12.5 meters (MLLW) and a width of 200 meters, allowing vessels up to 220 meters LOA and 32 meters beam to berth at low tide. The channel is marked by a series of lateral buoys and a leading line system monitored by the VTS center located on the western breakwater.
- **Berths**:
- *Container Berth*: 350 meters long, equipped with two Super Post‑Panamax gantry cranes (45‑tonne lift capacity) and four rubber‑tired gantry (RTG) cranes for yard operations.
- *General Cargo Berth*: Two conventional berths totalling 460 meters, each with mobile harbor cranes (up to 40 tonne) and covered storage sheds.
- *Bulk & Liquid Berth*: Dedicated dolphin structures for dry bulk (coal, fertilizers) and a 150‑meter jetty for petroleum products, complete with marine loading arms and vapor recovery systems.
- *Ro‑Ro Berth*: 180‑meter ramp‑enabled quay facilitating vehicle and project cargo movements.
- **Storage & Yard**: 30 hectares of paved stacking area for containers (including 8 hectares of refrigerated reefers), 12 hectares of covered warehouses for general cargo, and 6 hectares of silo complexes for grain and bulk commodities.
- **Intermodal Connections**: Direct access to the CA‑1 highway via a 4‑lane access road; a rail spur linking to the national Ferrovias network (currently under rehabilitation) facilitates inland distribution to San Santa Ana and the eastern provinces.
- **Support Services**: Pilotage (24/7), tugboat fleet (two 30‑tonne ASD tugs), bunkering facilities (marine diesel and low‑sulfur fuel oil), waste reception (MARPOL Annex I–V), and a dedicated customs clearance zone equipped with automated container scanning and risk‑based inspection systems.
Environmental stewardship is addressed through an ISO 14001‑certified port management plan, which includes regular water‑quality monitoring, sediment management, and a mangrove restoration program along the adjacent coastline.
## Economic Importance
Acajutla contributes roughly 45 % of El Salvador’s total maritime trade value, making it the linchpin of the nation’s export‑import balance. In 2023, the port handled approximately 1.1 million tonnes of cargo, comprising:
- **Containerized goods**: 380,000 TEU (≈ 55 % of total container throughput in Central America’s Pacific corridor).
- **Agricultural bulk**: 250,000 tonnes of green coffee beans, 180,000 tonnes of sugar, and 120,000 tonnes of cacao, primarily destined for the United States, Europe, and Asian markets.
- **Industrial inputs**: 140,000 tonnes of petroleum products, 90,000 tonnes of fertilizers, and 70,000 tonnes of steel products supporting domestic manufacturing and construction.
- **Ro‑Ro and project cargo**: 60,000 tonnes of vehicles, machinery, and oversized project components for infrastructure ventures such as the El Salvador‑Honduras electrical interconnection and renewable‑energy parks.
The port’s activity generates an estimated US$120 million annually in direct revenue for CEPA and creates over 2,500 jobs, ranging from dockworkers and crane operators to logistics coordinators and customs agents. Indirectly, Acajutla fuels the growth of the Salvadoran free‑trade zones (FTZs) located in Sonsonate and Santa Ana, where textile and apparel manufacturers rely on just‑in‑time delivery of imported fabrics and export of finished garments. Moreover, the port’s competitiveness—measured by average vessel turnaround time of under 24 hours for container ships—has attracted shipping lines such as Maersk, MSC, and Hapag‑Lloyd to increase service frequency, reinforcing El Salvador’s integration into global supply chains.
## Trade Routes & Major Cargo
Acajutla sits at the crossroads of several principal maritime corridors:
- **Trans‑Pacific Route**: Regular liner services connect the port to Long Beach/Los Angeles (USA), Manzanillo (Mexico), and Lázaro Cárdenas (Mexico), facilitating the flow of North‑American consumer goods and the export of Salvadoran coffee and sugar to U.S. roasters and refineries.
- **Central American Shuttle**: Feeder vessels operate twice‑weekly routes to Puerto Quetzal (Guatemala), Puerto Cortés (Honduras), and Corinto (Nicaragua), enabling cabotage trade and the consolidation of regional cargoes for onward transshipment via larger hubs such as Balboa (Panama) or Cartagena (Colombia).
- **Asia‑Pacific Link**: Seasonal services to Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Busan carry electronics components and textiles inward, while outbound shipments of specialty coffee and high‑value apparel find markets in Japan, South Korea, and China.
- **Europe‑West Africa Connection**: Although less frequent, occasional calls by Mediterranean‑flagged vessels link Acajutla to Algeciras (Spain) and Tangier Med (Morocco), primarily for the export of organic coffee and cacao to European specialty markets.
**Major Cargo Categories** (by annual volume, 2023):
1. **Containerized Manufactured Goods** – electronics, automotive parts, textiles, and consumer goods (≈ 420,000 TEU).
2. **Agricultural Bulk** – green coffee (≈ 120,000 t), raw sugar (≈ 150,000 t), cacao beans (≈ 80,000 t), and bananas (≈ 60,000 t).
3. **Liquid Hydrocarbons** – diesel, gasoline, and jet fuel (≈ 130,000 t).
4. **Dry Bulk** – fertilizers (urea, ammonium nitrate) and clinker for cement production (≈ 100,000 t).
5. **Ro‑Ro & Project Cargo** – vehicles, agricultural machinery, and wind‑turbine components (≈ 70,000 t).
The port’s draft and berth configuration allow it to accommodate Neo‑Panamax container vessels (up to 14,000 TEU) on the Pacific feeder services, while the majority of deep‑sea calls remain in the 5,000–8,000 TEU range, reflecting the current demand profile of the Central American market. Continuous investment in automation—such as optical character recognition (OCR) for container identification and a terminal operating system (TOS) integrated with customs’ ASYCUDA World—aims to reduce dwell time below 18 hours and increase throughput capacity to 600,000 TEU by 2028, reinforcing Acajutla’s role as a pivotal logistics hub for the northern triangle of Central America.
Port Intelligence
UN/LOCODE
SVAQJ
Country
El Salvador
Province / Region
Sonsonate
Latitude
13.595700
Longitude
-89.827089
Timezone
America/El_Salvador
Nautical Map (OpenSeaMap)
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the UN/LOCODE for Port of Acajutla?
The official UN/LOCODE for Port of Acajutla is SVAQJ.
Where is Port of Acajutla located?
The Port of Acajutla is located in El Salvador, Sonsonate. Its coordinates are 13.5957°N, -89.8271°E.
What time zone is Port of Acajutla in?
Port of Acajutla operates in the America/El_Salvador time zone.
🌊 Live Marine Conditions
Wave Height0.92 m
Wave Direction189°
Swell Height0.5 m
Data provided by Open-Meteo Marine API
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About the World Port Index
This data is sourced programmatically. The UN/LOCODE is the official geographic coding scheme used by the United Nations for trade and transport locations.
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