The port
Santo Tomás de Castilla sits on Amatique Bay, in Izabal, and is one of Guatemala’s two Caribbean ports. It is run by the Empresa Portuaria Nacional Santo Tomás de Castilla (EMPORNAC), a state-owned port company.
It connects the country with Atlantic shipping routes to the Caribbean, the US East Coast and Europe.
Import from Santo Tomás de Castilla
- Release. The shipping line and customs release the container. This step is handled by you and your customs broker.
- Terminal appointment. We book the pickup appointment at the terminal.
- Port pickup. We pick up the container at Santo Tomás de Castilla.
- Delivery. We haul it to your warehouse, plant or delivery point for unloading.
- Empty return. We return the empty container to the yard designated by the shipping line.
Export through Santo Tomás de Castilla
- Booking. The shipping line confirms the booking. This step is handled by you or your freight forwarder.
- Empty pickup. We pick up the empty container at the shipping line’s yard.
- Loading. We bring it to your plant or warehouse for loading.
- Terminal appointment. We book the gate-in appointment at the terminal.
- Terminal delivery. We deliver the loaded container to Santo Tomás de Castilla ahead of the vessel cutoff.
Routes and destinations
The route inland is the CA-9, the Atlantic Highway, which runs through Morales, Río Hondo and El Rancho to Guatemala City. Zacapa, Cobán (via the CA-14) and Petén (via the CA-13) branch off that route.
Some of the destinations on this route: Guatemala City, Zacapa, Cobán, Petén. We deliver nationwide.
What to prepare for a quote
- Type of operation: import or export.
- Delivery or pickup address (city, warehouse or plant).
- Equipment (20 or 40 ft) and number of containers.
- Gross weight per container, if you already know it.
- Expected date and the free days granted by the shipping line.
- Special conditions: overweight cargo or in-bond transport.
More detail in the guide What is drayage?.