What is the physical capacity of Puerto Quetzal's pier and what are its draft, vessel-length and congestion limits?

The commercial pier of the Empresa Portuaria Quetzal (EPQ) is 800 metres long. This is stated in an EPQ statement quoted by El Metropolitano (August 2024), by EPQ president José Antonio Lemus in Prensa Libre (November 2024) and in the analysis by academic and consultant Armando Jacomino reported by La Hora (November 2025). According to that analysis, the port has kept those 800 metres of pier since it opened and has received no structural expansion since 1985. According to the EPQ, the pier was designed to berth four vessels of 180 metres in length. Lemus explained that four ships can be handled at once if they are under 190 metres, but when vessels of 200 metres or more arrive only three can be handled simultaneously, which creates queues of waiting ships. The analysis reported by La Hora says the port handles vessels of up to 240 metres in length and operates at a draught reduced to 10.5 metres, which limits its manoeuvring windows to only a few hours a day. In February 2025, Periódico el Escuintleco, citing Prensa Libre, reported 29 vessels at anchor waiting to discharge. In May 2026, La Hora said that at Puerto Quetzal the Health, Interior and Customs processes, which inspect cargo separately, cause delays of up to 40 days.