RT journal article
T1 Container Traffic in the Colombian Caribbean: A Competitiveness Analysis of the Port of Santa Marta Through a Technical–Economic Combination Framework
A1 Pabón Noguera, Adriana
A1 Cerbán Jiménez, María del Mar
A1 Ruiz Águilar, Juan Jesús
A2 Economía General
A2 Ingeniería Industrial e Ingeniería Civil
K1 competitiveness
K1 container terminal
K1 Colombian Caribbean ports
K1 Santa Marta
K1 efficiency
AB The Port of Santa Marta, located on Colombia’s northern Caribbean coast,plays a vital role in the country’s maritime trade, particularly in the export of agriculturaland perishable goods. This raises the question: how competitive is Santa Marta’s containerterminal compared to national and regional ports, and what strategic factors shape itsperformance within the Colombia and Latin American maritime logistics system? Methods:This study evaluates the port’s competitiveness by applying Porter’s Extended DiamondModel. A mixed-methods ap-proach was employed, combining structured surveys andinterviews with port stakeholders and operational data analysis. A competitiveness matrixwas developed and examined using standardized residuals and L1 regression to identifycritical performance gaps and strengths. Results: The analysis reveals several competitive advantages, including the port’s strategic location, natural deep-water access, andadvanced infrastructure for refrigerated cargo. It also benefits from skilled labour andproximity to global shipping routes, such as the Panama Canal. Nonetheless, challengesremain in storage capacity, limited road connectivity, and insufficient public investmentin hinterland infrastructure. Conclusions: While the Port of Santa Marta shows strongmaritime capabilities and spe-cialized services, addressing its land-side and institutionalconstraints is essential for positioning it as a resilient, competitive logistics hub in the LatinAmerican and Caribbean region.
PB MDPI
SN 2305-6290
YR 2025
FD 2025-06-27
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/38053
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/38053
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 10-may-2026