Competition to attract cargo is raising the bar for Latin American ports. Terminal productivity is now complemented by service reliability, operational safety, and the capacity to incorporate technology and advance decarbonization , in a context marked by the reorganization of supply chains and shipping line decisions.
These challenges will shape the agenda of AAPA LATAM 2026 , which will be held from December 1-4 in Guatemala City. The event is expected to bring together more than 700 representatives from the maritime, port, and logistics sectors , including government officials, terminal executives, shipping companies, technology providers, investors, and international organizations.
The selection of the host country coincides with a transformation of its institutional framework. According to information from the meeting, the General Law of the National Port System , Decree 20-2026, published in September and in effect since October 2, creates the National Port Authority and establishes a framework to strengthen planning, security, competitiveness, and conditions for public and private investment.
With access to both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans through Puerto Quetzal, Santo Tomás de Castilla, and Puerto Barrios , Guatemala faces the challenge of transforming its geographic location into logistical capacity. The panel “Two Oceans, One Strategy: Guatemala’s Port Vision” will address the needs and prospects of its port system, linking this modernization process to the challenges facing the rest of Latin America.
The discussion will begin with the environment that is altering the flow of goods. The opening conference, “The New Map of World Trade: Winners, Risks, and Opportunities for Latin America ,” will analyze geopolitical tensions, new trade alliances, and changes in supply chains. Building on this overview, “The New Port Landscape of the Americas” will examine logistics corridors, infrastructure projects, and the competition to attract cargo.
In this dispute, the shipping companies’ strategies will be crucial. With the expected participation of representatives from Maersk and MSC , the program will address the conditions that terminals must offer to meet the needs of shipping lines.
Carlos Urriola, partner at Urriola & Sanchez and moderator of the panel, raises the scope of that requirement: “What do port terminals need to have and do to enter the circle of winners? It is not enough to be first in productivity; you have to be first and consistent in all the services you provide.”
The consistency of service is linked, in turn, to the ports’ ability to incorporate tools that improve management. From this perspective, the Innovation Challenge will give companies 10 minutes to present concrete examples of applications of artificial intelligence, automation, digital twins, and collaborative platforms.
Miguel Garín, Director of International Development at the Valenciaport Foundation and moderator of the session, summarizes the change: “The port of the future is no longer built solely with more concrete, but also with better algorithms.”
The format will seek to identify which solutions are already working, what problems they solve, and what conditions are required for their implementation. This discussion will be complemented by a panel on cybersecurity , a component of business continuity and supply chain resilience.
Along with digitalization, the energy transition raises decisions about infrastructure, equipment, and financing. The panel “The Countdown to Net Zero” will bring together experiences on decarbonization, electrification, new technologies, and investments to reduce emissions in the sector.
“Latin America faces difficult challenges, but also important opportunities, to move towards the decarbonization of the maritime sector,” says Jorge Durán, executive secretary of the Inter-American Committee on Ports of the Organization of American States (CIP/OAS) and moderator of the panel.
Durán points out that various ports in the region are already developing pilot programs with alternative fuels , electrified equipment, and renewable electricity sources. This exchange will allow for a review of their results, the lessons learned, and the possibilities of adapting these solutions to other terminals.
However, modernization also depends on the conditions for committing long-term capital. Therefore, the agenda will include an analysis of legal certainty and port concessions , with an emphasis on the elements necessary to develop and sustain investments.
This dimension will be complemented by the protection of operations. The panel “Ports Under Threat: Organized Crime, Security, and Logistical Integrity” will address security challenges and the coordination between public and private actors in an activity whose reliability involves the entire logistics chain.
The program will broaden the discussion to include strategic bulk cargo and the relationship between cruise ships, sustainability, and port cities. In doing so, the meeting will incorporate markets and development models with distinct infrastructure, operational, and environmental needs.
Towards the end, “The CEOs’ Vision” will focus its analysis on the investments, technologies and business models that will define the next decade of container ports in Latin America, revisiting the commercial, operational and regulatory factors discussed during the congress.
The trade show and business networking spaces will complement the sessions to facilitate contact between policymakers, investment decision-makers, terminal operators, and solution developers. These exchanges aim to open up opportunities for cooperation, projects, and business relationships.
The meeting also includes the presentation of the AAPA LATAM–CIP/OEA Awards and the AAPA LATAM Legacy Awards , as well as the presentation of Curaçao as the host of the 2027 edition. On December 4, an optional technical visit to Puerto Quetzal will take place, with prior registration and limited spaces, to learn about the operations of the host country.
The agenda thus places port competitiveness on a level that goes beyond simply expanding docks and yards: attracting and sustaining new cargo flows will require coordinating infrastructure, investment certainty, security, and reliable services . For Guatemala, the meeting will allow it to present its modernization priorities to operators, suppliers, and investors in the region.
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