ANI and Grupo Portuario Sign Agreement to Reactivate Buenaventura's Berth 13

Colombia's National Infrastructure Agency (ANI) and Grupo Portuario S.A. signed a memorandum of understanding to move forward with the reactivation of Berth 13 at the Port of Buenaventura. The agreement seeks to establish a roadmap enabling the resumption of operations at that terminal while also averting the continuation of a legal dispute with economic claims of nearly USD 30 million.

The memorandum was signed by ANI's president, Ricardo Ayerbe Pino, and by Grupo Portuario S.A.'s representative, Álvaro Rodríguez. According to mundo maritimo, the document was signed on October 31, and operations at Berth 13 have remained suspended since January 2025, when the National Environmental Licensing Authority (ANLA) ordered a halt through a precautionary measure linked to the need to update the facility's environmental management and control instruments.

The operational shutdown of Berth 13 affected the efficiency and competitiveness of the Port of Buenaventura, causing bottlenecks, higher logistics costs for carriers, increased prices for agro-industrial products, and a decline in international investor confidence, according to Portal Portuario. mundo maritimo reported that the average waiting time for bulk carriers rose from 17.6 hours in 2024 to 57.9 hours in 2025, a deterioration that ANI links directly to the terminal's suspension.

With the eventual resumption of operations, the terminal would regain the capacity to handle more than 50 vessels per year, add 50,000 metric tons of additional storage capacity, and enable more than 70,000 square meters for mineral stockpiling. mundo maritimo added that ANI estimates the reactivation would help recover 500 direct jobs and 1,500 indirect jobs.

The contractual dispute originated from decisions made between December 2023 and March 2024 regarding a modification to Grupo Portuario S.A.'s port concession contract, after which ANI filed a contractual dispute lawsuit against the company in May 2025. mundo maritimo clarified that the signing of the memorandum constitutes a preliminary stage and does not imply a definitive resolution of the dispute nor immediate authorization to resume operations, since the reopening will depend on pending agreements and compliance with the environmental authority's requirements.

Ricardo Ayerbe Pino stated that the goal of the agreement is to resolve the dispute, save the country the costs of litigation, and generate employment, productivity, and foreign investment. The official also emphasized that the understanding seeks to reduce costs associated with the litigation and create conditions to attract new investment to the port.