The ICA confirmed it is already carrying out phytosanitary and zoosanitary inspection at Puerto Antioquia, the Urabá terminal that began operating in February 2026. As a result, agricultural cargo moving through this point can meet sanitary requirements without being rerouted to another port, and that detail hits the timeline and the cost of every shipment directly.
The announcement, made in early September, closes a piece the terminal was missing to work as a real foreign trade hub. Without the ICA present at the port, in fact, a good share of agricultural products for export and import simply could not be certified there.
What the ICA guarantees at the terminal
The agency verifies that everything leaving or entering the port meets phytosanitary and food safety standards. In practice, it covers two fronts of cargo:
| Exports | Imports |
|---|---|
| Bananas | Corn |
| Flowers | Soybean meal |
| Hass avocado | Lentils |
| Coffee | Grapes |
| Passion fruits |
Still, the ICA does not work alone at the port. The inspection is also coordinated with DIAN, INVIMA, the Ministries of Commerce and Transport, and the Police Anti-Narcotics Directorate. As a result, a shipment can clear customs, sanitary and security control in one place, without splitting the process across several offices.
The port in numbers
Puerto Antioquia sits in Turbo, on the Gulf of Urabá, about 350 kilometers from Medellín. It has operated since February 2026 with an initial capacity close to seven million tons per year and room to grow, backed by an investment of more than US$700 million. Besides, its pier runs 1,340 meters with five berths, and a 16.5-meter draft that lets it receive New Panamax vessels. Around it, moreover, 38 hectares hold refrigerated warehouses and areas for containers, bulk and rolling cargo.
Its edge over Caribbean terminals is the distance to the country’s interior. In practice, the port sits 47% closer to Medellín and 36% closer to the Coffee Belt. Because of that proximity, the Ministry of Commerce estimates logistics costs can drop by 33% to 58% for anyone exporting or importing through it.
That official figure already has backing in real operations. For example, since its first export shipment, in April 2026, 24,000 tons of Hass avocado left the port bound for Dunkirk (Cartama) and 130,000 flower stems bound for London (Flores El Capiro). Cartama, meanwhile, reported savings of 30% to 40% in transit times, and the floriculture sector a 60% cut in mileage and 70% in land transport time. For whoever pays the freight, therefore, those percentages are the difference between a viable route and one that does not add up.
The coffee case
Coffee, however, has a rule of its own. DIAN authorized its export through the terminal under Resolution 7995 of 2026 and assigned it customs code 27236, which must be used in the Shipping Authorization Request. Reweighing, physical inspection and quality analysis, in turn, are handled by Almacafé on site, with oversight from the National Federation of Coffee Growers.
For coffee through Puerto Antioquia, use code 27236. Otherwise, declaring the general code stalls the shipment, so it is worth having clear before scheduling departure.
What it means for anyone moving cargo through Urabá
For a company that imports or exports, then, the news redraws the map of possible routes. For example, a shipment of Hass avocado or flowers that used to leave through the Caribbean now has an option closer to origin, with sanitary inspection resolved at the same port. Similarly, anyone bringing in corn or soybean meal who relied on other terminals until now has a nearer door. Urabá’s bananas, meanwhile, are next in line: the projection is to triple the region’s exports, with transit dropping from around three days by barge to close to one.
The savings in inland freight and internal transit time are the visible part. Less obvious, though, and just as important, is that lighter handling and fewer transit points mean fewer chances for delay or for cargo to be rejected.
At Fenix we track closely how these routes settle, because every terminal that enables sanitary inspection opens concrete options in cost and time for the cargo we handle. In short, Puerto Antioquia enters the route equation to and from the center of the country, and it is worth measuring case by case when it makes sense.
Moving cargo through Puerto Antioquia? Let’s check together whether it’s the most convenient route for your operation.
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- ICA — Phytosanitary inspection at Puerto Antioquia
- Siacomex — Exporting coffee through Puerto Antioquia (DIAN Resolution 7995 / code 27236)
- La República — Puerto Antioquia began operations in Urabá
- Agronegocios — First shipment of Hass avocado and flowers
- Portafolio — Bananas, foreign trade and the port’s investment
