The event will feature the participation of 33 leaders from Mexico, Venezuela, Panama, Guatemala, Argentina, Uruguay, the Dominican Republic, and Spain, including presidents of port authorities, general directors, operational managers, and board members.

The meeting will seek to strengthen institutional cooperation and showcase Latin American talent in dialogue with Europe.

The preliminary agenda was presented during the meeting, which includes technical meetings at the Puertos del Estado headquarters in Madrid; tours of port facilities in Seville, Huelva, Cádiz, and Algeciras ; meetings with local authorities and representatives of organizations; panels on innovation, sustainability, digital transformation, and sector management; and networking opportunities between Latin American and European delegations.

Presentations of successful experiences and analyses of common challenges in contemporary port operations are also planned.

Event development

The technical seminar on September 23, at the Puertos del Estado headquarters in Madrid, will include, among other things, a discussion on national port policy and international cooperation.

Three thematic panels will be held at the event :

• “Energy Transition and Port Sustainability,” focusing on decarbonization, energy efficiency, and green ports.
• “Digitalization and Smart Ports,” focusing on automation, data integration, artificial intelligence, and digital platforms.
• “Governance and Infrastructure Planning,” which will address governance models, public investment, and institutional coordination.

The event will be complemented by a technical coffee break and networking opportunities , which will foster exchanges between Latin American representatives and specialists from the Spanish port system, along with government authorities and logistics stakeholders.

According to Zulma Dinelli, president and CEO of PR PORTS, and Guimara Tuñón, executive director of the Maritime Policy Bureau, this stage is key to consolidating alliances, projecting institutional capacities, and strengthening regional positioning in strategic scenarios.

In 2024, the Spanish port system recorded a total of 18.1 million 20-foot containers (TEUs) transported. In Latin America, Mexico, Panama, Colombia, and Peru were the countries with the highest number of TEUs transported.

Mexico emerged as the regional leader, operating 9,375,570 TEUs in 2024, according to data from the Ministry of the Navy; followed by Panama with 7,994,636 TEUs between January and October 2024, according to data from the Panama Maritime Authority; Colombia reached a throughput of 3,702,044 TEUs, according to reports from the Cartagena Port Group; and Peru with more than 3.5 million TEUs, according to figures from the country’s National Port Authority.

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