Freight News, Logistics, Sea


Maersk opens Latin America super-hubs

[ July 16, 2025   //   ]

Maersk has opened a new gateway to Latin America. Thes Panama Pacifico Logistics Centre in a Special Economic Zone on the Pacific side of the country spans more than 20,000sq m, a height of 11.5m and 10,952 pallet positions, it will be a centralized distribution hub for companies operating across Latin America, North America, and Asia and enables businesses to consolidate inventory and accelerate time-to-market from a single location.

The nearby port offers several weekly ocean services, direct routes from Asia, and cross-border trucking into Central America via direct access to the Pan-American Highway. The site is also linked to the Panama Canal Railway, a 76-kilometer rail corridor running alongside the Panama Canal.

The hub supports single-inventory, multi-country omni-channel fulfilment, along with in-country distribution, inventory and outbound management, consolidation, deconsolidation, and cross-docking. Value-added services available include labelling, kitting, re-packing, returns management, product disposal, palletizing, and quality control.

Maersk’s Warehouse Management System offers real-time inventory visibility, automation readiness, and integration with customer systems.

The facility enables freight optimization through full truckload and less-than-truckload services, with direct shipping to distribution centres, retailers, and wholesalers, as well as cross-border distribution.

The Panama Pacifico Special Economic Zone offers duty and sales tax exemptions, customs processes, and the flexibility to handle both domestic and international cargo. Goods stored here retain their country-of-origin status, and there are no time limits on storage. Maersk acts as the importer of record, simplifying compliance.

Head of sales for Central America, Andean, and Caribbean, John Carmichael said: “Panama is not just a stopover, it’s a launchpad. This facility gives our customers the power to turn Panama into a strategic hub for transhipment, distribution, and growth. With our Panama Pacifico facility, companies can centralize inventory in one location, streamline customs, and serve multiple markets without the complexity of managing separate warehouses. This hub gives businesses the speed, flexibility, and cost efficiency they need to grow across Latin America.”

Maersk (has also officially opened a packing and cold chain logistics centre in Olmos, Peru to support the country’s agro-export sector. The new facility is designed to deliver speed and freshness from farm to port

The Lambayeque region has become a top contributor to the country’s fruit exports, which experienced robust growth in 2024, including a 35.7% increase in blueberry exports and a 29.2% rise in avocado exports.

The facility integrates essential logistics functions including processing, cold storage, and depot warehousing. It also offers container depot operations, inland refrigerated transport, and customs handling at origin.

The 17,500-square-meter facility is the first of its kind in northern Peru, offering end-to-end cold chain services from harvest to export. It can process up to 38 tons/hour for avocados and mangoes; or 4.5 tons/hour for blueberries and has over 4,600 bins across climate-controlled and refrigerated rooms, as well as two chambers for finished goods storage with 2,088 pallet positions.

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