U.N. COMMISSION NAMES TOP 10 LATIN PORTS

U.N. COMMISSION NAMES TOP 10 LATIN PORTS    Port statistics compiled by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, based in Chile, show that ports of Panama, Argentina and Brazil were the largest container ports in the region last year, when measured in container traffic volume.
   In its maritime profile of ports in the region, the U.N. specialized body named Col'n, in Panama, Buenos Aires, in Argentina, and Santos, in Brazil, as the three largest container ports. Col'n handled an estimated 1.35 million TEUs in 2000, up 15 percent on the previous year. Buenos Aires’ container throughput, including that of the Exolgan terminal, was 1.13 million TEUs, up by 5 percent. The port of Santos increased its volume to an estimated 988,000 TEUs, 27 percent more than in 1999.
   However, the port of Kingston, in Jamaica, is catching up Santos in volume terms. In 2000, Kingston handled an estimated 985,000 TEUs, up by 39 percent. Kingston was the fourth largest port in the regional ranking last year.
      According to preliminary statistics of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, the fifth to 10-th major ports in the region were:
   (5) Freeport, Bahamas, with 572,224 TEUs in 2000;
   (6) Puerto Lim'n, Costa Rica, with 571,957 TEUs;
   (7) Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, with 550,807 TEUs;
   (8) Veracruz, Mexico, with 534,010 TEUs;
   (9) San Antonio, Chile, with 455,604 TEUs;
   (10) Manzanillo, Mexico, with 426,717 TEUs.