The Port of Posorja in Ecuador, operated by DP World, won the AAPA Port Industry Excellence Award for a second year, reflecting $700M in investment and top efficiency rankings.
Alpha Score of 52 reflects moderate overall profile with weak momentum, moderate value, moderate quality, moderate sentiment.
DP World’s Port of Posorja in Ecuador took home the 2026 Port Industry Excellence Award in the Public-Private Partnership category for the second year running. The prize comes from the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA LATAM) and the Inter-American Committee on Ports (CIP) of the Organization of American States.
The award recognizes projects that strengthen port systems, supply chains, and national economies through public-private collaboration. DP World and the Government of Ecuador developed Posorja as a greenfield deep-water port. Since operations began in 2019, DP World has poured roughly $700 million into the terminal.
Earlier this year the company extended the berth to 700 meters. A further extension to 800 meters is scheduled for completion by the end of 2026. Once done, the terminal’s annual capacity will hit 1.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), deepening Ecuador’s links to global shipping routes.
Carlos Merino, CEO of DP World in Ecuador, Peru and Colombia, said the back-to-back recognition “reflects what can be achieved through a strong public-private partnership and a shared commitment to long-term investment.” Together with the government, he said, “we have built modern port infrastructure that is improving supply chain efficiency, strengthening the country’s competitiveness and creating new opportunities for Ecuadorian businesses to reach international markets.”
The award will be presented during the AAPA LATAM 2026 Congress in Guatemala from December 1 to 4.
Posorja also scored high marks in the latest Container Port Performance Index from the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence. It ranked first in Latin America and 20th globally, the only port in the region to crack the global top 20 two years running. The same report named Posorja the third most improved port worldwide since 2020.
The port now supports nearly 10,000 direct and indirect jobs. Its growth has been particularly important for Ecuador’s agricultural, seafood and manufacturing exports. The continued expansion strengthens the country’s role as a trade gateway on South America’s Pacific coast.
Drafted by a large language model from the source reporting linked above, then screened by automated publishing checks. It is not read by a journalist before publication. Some articles cite our Alpha Score. Verify prices and figures against the original source. Educational coverage, not personalized advice.