Located in Central America, Honduras is known for its natural resources, from coffee to minerals, and its growing textile industry. It is nestled between El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua, with Pacific and Caribbean coastlines to the north and south, respectively.
Honduras has commercial cities, the capital Tegucalpa and San Pedro Sula. Both are industrial and commercial centers that drive the country's economy. But the country's ports may be the biggest reason for the country's economic development. These ports opened up Honduras' trade routes in the Pacific and the Caribbean.
1. Puerto Cortez
Puerto Cortez happens to be the only deep-water port in the whole of Central America. It is also one of the best equipped and largest ports in the region. Originally known as Puerto de Caballos, the port is located in the Caribbean waters of the northern part of the country. Because it has a natural bay, it can handle large ships with a capacity of 10 at a time.
It has a large 4,000-foot docking space and offers 24-hour service, with ships going to Miami seven times a week, New York four times a week, and New Orleans four times a week. Ships from the port travel to the Far East and Europe at least twice a week. The port is a designated safe port for the region, which is why it sees a lot of cargo traffic. That means it can safely ride on the giant ships that cross the Panama Canal.
2. Screen port
This port is also located on the northern coast of the Caribbean Sea. When it officially became the headquarters of the Tela Railway Company in 1914, it became an influential business point. This is a subsidiary of United Fruit Company, which transports bananas from the interior of Honduras to ports for export.
The railway remains intact and still in operation, bringing the banana crop, the region's main export, to the port. It is still called Banana Port because Honduras is one of fifteen countries that provide more than half of the world's banana exports. In 2018, the country exported $522.7 million worth of bananas from the port. Tela also handles coconuts and other agricultural products.
3. Port of Castile
The Port of Castile is actually a small fishing village, but the port facilities are some of the best in the country. They are home to a Honduras naval base and also have a container facility for fresh fruit produced by Dole. It also sits in the middle of African oil palm plantations that have started growing in the region. It will be the main port of call for oil exports
The port also has road access to the country's forestry project and the Aguan Valley Railway, which produces Honduras' famous timber for export.
4. La Ceiba Port
The port of La Ceiba is also located in the waters of the Caribbean Sea, but at the southern end of the coastline. It borders the Gulf of Honduras and is the third largest city in the country. The port developed into a modern port throughout the 19th century, becoming an important shipping port for banana exports. As an agricultural port, it also handles most agricultural products such as citrus fruits, pineapples, coconuts, fish, coffee, meat and wood.
The city hosts its famous carnival every May for the Spanish San Isidro Labrador, attracting more than 500,000 visitors. Ceiba is also considered the entertainment capital of Honduras and the ecotourism capital of Honduras, which means a huge influx of tourists into the city. The port has an excellent cruise terminal that caters for cruise ships that take passengers to various tourist attractions in the country.
5. Port of San Lorenzo
The port is located in the waters of the Pacific Ocean near the Gulf of Fonseca at the southern tip of Honduras. It was built to alleviate the inconvenience of using the old port of Ampara, which had to be dredged to enable ships to moor in the port. It can carry 1.1 million tons of cargo annually. The port of San Lorenzo also serves nearby industrial cities that process products such as rosin, a huge export product for Honduras.
It also handles shipments such as vegetable oils, dairy products and shrimp from local industries and processing plants. The port also has the advantage of being served by the nearby Ampara Airport, which transports goods and products to and from the port.
