A Panamax port is a deepwater port that can accommodate a fully laden Panamax ship. With the completion of the Panama Canal expansion project in 2016, this list will need to be significantly revised due to larger "post panamax" ships transiting Panama. Other lists are required for even bigger Valemax and Chinamax ships.
Africa
Mediterranean Sea
Djendjen (Jijel), Algeria
Tanger-Med, Morocco
Atlantic Ocean
(from North to South)
Nouadhibou, Mauritania — iron ore terminal.
Nouakchott, Mauritania — proposed railhead for phosphate mine.
Port Kamsar, Guinea — bauxite loading port, origin of Kamsarmax ship type.
Monrovia, Liberia — proposed deepening to 20m for 200,000t vessels.
Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana — built 1928
Tema, Ghana — built 1961
Cotonou — Benin
Lomé — Togo
Lekki Deep Sea Port, Nigeria Began operations in April 2023, it is currently the largest deep water port in Africa. Designed to welcome post-panamax category vessels.
Ibom Deep Sea Port, Nigeria — undergoing implementation
Kribi, Cameroon — oil terminal
Iron ore Mbalam and Nabela - 300 000 tonnes
Bauxite - future
Owendo, Gabon — railhead
São Tomé e Príncipe - island transhipment port.
Lobito, Angola
Walvis Bay, Namibia — railhead
Saldanha Bay, South Africa
Proposed
(from North to South)
Bargny, Senegal
Matakong, Guinea — deepwater port for Simandou and Kalia iron ore
Tagrin Point, Sierra Leone — for iron ore
Dadia, Liberia - Liberty Corridor
San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire — for iron ore
Port Notel Ocean Terminal, Ibeno Akwa-Ibom, Nigeria
Ikot Akpatek, Akwa-Ibom, Nigeria — proposed
Lolabé, Cameroon — iron ore export
Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
Santa Clara, Gabon — proposed deepwater port with railhead for Makokou iron ore.
Indienne, Congo
Barra do Dande, Angola (Bengo Province)
Shearwater Bay, Namibia — coal (30 km south of Luderitz)
Red Sea
Berbera, Somalia
Port Sudan, Sudan
Massawa, Eritrea
Indian Ocean
(from North to South)
Mogadishu, Somalia
Kismayo, Somalia
Kilindini Harbour, Mombasa, Kenya
Mtwara, Tanzania
Nacala, Mozambique — railhead for Malawi
Richards Bay, South Africa
Ngqura, South Africa
Proposed
(from North to South)
Garacad, Somalia
Lamu Port, Lamu, Kenya
Pangani, Tanzania
Pemba, Mozambique
Technobanine Point, Mozambique
Americas
Canada
Arctic Ocean
Port of Churchill — terminal on Hudson Bay that handles grain, bulk commodities, general cargo, and tanker vessels.
Atlantic Ocean
Sept-Îles — iron ore terminal on the Saint Lawrence River.
Port Cartier — iron ore terminal on the Saint Lawrence River.
Quebec City — deepwater terminal on the Saint Lawrence River and the gateway to the Great Lakes, capable of accommodating Panamax and Capesize vessels with 50 feet of water at low tide
Chandler — large deepwater wharf
Melford Terminal (proposed) — deepwater terminal on the Strait of Canso.
Port of Saint John — deepwater port in the Bay of Fundy.
Port of Halifax — most easterly North American full-service container port.
Sydney
Pacific Ocean
Port of Prince Rupert — deep sea port with direct rail connections to major North American cities.
Port Alberni — fjord-like channel that deep sea vessels and cruise ships can easily navigate.
Port of Vancouver — modern port of entry on the west coast of Canada.
Squamish Terminals — breakbulk terminal on the west coast of Canada specializing in the movement of forestry, steel, and project cargo.
Crofton — The main factor for its location is the depth of the water, unusual for the east coast of Vancouver Island.
Kitimat — year-round deep-sea shipping connects North America to the Pacific Ocean and the Pacific Rim. According to the Transport Canada's Technical Review Process of Marine Terminal Systems and Transshipment Sites (TERMPOL) the passageway into the Port of Kitimat is "safely accessible by Panamax vessels, VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier) VLCC’s and Ultra Large Crude Carriers (ULCCs) up to 320,000 DWT. A strategic port in the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines project.
Greenland
Arctic Ocean
Thule Air Base, Greenland — northernmost deepwater port in the world.
United States
Atlantic Ocean
Port of Boston
Port of New York and New Jersey, includes
Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal
Port Jersey
Port of Philadelphia
Port of Wilmington
Port of Baltimore
Hampton Roads — complex includes naval and commercial facilities
Port of Virginia
Naval Station Norfolk
Port of Morehead City
Port of Charleston
Port of Savannah
Port of Jacksonville
Port Canaveral
Port Everglades
Port of Miami
Gulf of Mexico
Port Corpus Christi — fifth-largest port in the United States in total tonnage. Panamax class vessels are handled at the Port's Bulk Terminal.
Port of Tampa
Port of Mobile — only deepwater port in the state of Alabama
Port of New Orleans
Port of Beaumont — deepwater port located in Beaumont, Texas.
Port of Galveston — oldest port on the Gulf Coast, west of New Orleans.
Port of Houston — located in Houston, Texas, tenth-busiest port in world by tonnage.
Pacific Ocean
Port of Seattle
Port of Tacoma
Port Madison — sometimes called Port Madison Bay, a deepwater bay located on Puget Sound.
Port Angeles
Port of Grays Harbor
Port of Longview
Port of Kalama
Port of Vancouver USA
Port of Portland — three post-Panamax terminals.
Port of Coos Bay — Oregon's second busiest seaport
Port of Humboldt Bay — (aka Port of Eureka) the only deepwater port in California north of San Francisco Bay
Port of Richmond
Port of Stockton — California's farthest-inland deepwater port.
Port of Oakland — channel is fifty feet deep and eight hundred feet wide.
Port of Redwood City — resulting from dredging the mouth of Redwood Creek
Port of Hueneme — only deepwater port between Los Angeles and San Francisco, and the only military deepwater port between San Diego Bay and Puget Sound
Port of Los Angeles — busiest port in the United States.
Port of Long Beach — one of the busiest container ports in the world.
Port of San Diego — home to the bulk of the United States Navy Pacific Carrier Fleet. Only the first nine miles (14 km) of the bay are accessible to Panamax vessels.
Latin America and the Caribbean
Atlantic Ocean
Buenos Aires — Argentina
Bahía Blanca — Argentina
Quequén — Argentina
Santos — Brazil
Port of Tubarão, Vitória — Brazil, largest iron ore embarking port in the world deep-water port receiving ships 350,000 tons
Ponta da Madeira — Brazil
Ponta Ubu — Brazil
Guaiba — Brazil, iron ore export terminal owned and operated by Vale (ex CVRD) in Sepetiba Bay
Itaguai, Rio de Janeiro — Brazil, iron ore export terminal now owned and operated by Vale (ex CVRD) in Sepetiba Bay
Port of Montevideo — Uruguay
Port of Paranaguá — Brazil, commodities
Port of Rio Grande — Brazil, commodities
Caribbean Sea
Barranquilla, Colombia
Bridgetown — dredging project started in 2002 now allows for some of the world's largest cruise ships to berth in Barbados.
Grand Bahama, Bahamas — Freeport Container Port
Cartagena, Colombia
Ciénaga, Colombia — coal export port
Colón — Panama
Boca Grande, Venezuela — iron ore transfer station
Port Lafito — Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Port of the Americas (Port of Ponce) — capable of servicing post-Panamax vessels with a controlling depth of 50 feet (15 m).
Gulf of Mexico
Port of Mariel — Cuba (Neo-Panamax)
Pacific Ocean
Buenaventura, Colombia
Valparaíso — Chile
Manta — Ecuador
Puerto Bolívar — Ecuador
Port of Ensenada, Baja California — Mexico
Port of Lázaro Cárdenas — Mexico
Manzanillo, Colima — Mexico
Proposed
Punta Colonet, Baja California — Mexico
Posorja — Ecuador
Asia
Bangladesh
Proposed
Matarbari Port
Payra, Patuakhali
Brunei
Muara — Brunei's only deepwater port
Cambodia
Port of Sihanoukville
China
Anqing
Beihai
Caofeidian
Dalian
Dandong
Dongguan
Fangchenggang
Foshan
Fuzhou
Guangzhou
Haikou
Huanghua
Huizhou
Huludao
Humen
Jiangyin
Jiaxing
Jingtang
Jinzhou
Lianyungang
Lianyungang
Longkou
Luzhou
Macun
Maoming
Meizhou
Nanjing
Nantong
New Seaport
Ningbo-Zhoushan
Qingdao
Qinhuangdao
Qinzhou
Quanzhou
Rizhao
Shanghai
Shantou
Shenzhen
South Port
Suzhou
Taizhou
Tianjin
Weihai
Wenzhou
Wuhan
Xiamen
Xiuying
Yangjiang
Yangpu
Yangshan
Yangzhou
Yantai
Yantian
Yingkou
Yueyang
Zhangzhou
Zhanjiang
Zhenjiang
Zhongshan
Zhuhai
Hong Kong
Kwai Chung / Tsing Yi
Tuen Mun
India
Vizhinjam International Seaport Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum Seaport)
Dhamra Port
Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, Navi Mumbai
Krishnapatnam
Cochin Port, Kochi
Proposed
Port of Dahej, Bharuch, Gujarat
Japan
Port of Yokohama — post Panamax multi-purpose port
Kashima — container, dry and wet bulk and general cargo port
Fukuyama — multi-purpose and dry bulk port
Malaysia
Port of Tanjung Pelepas
Johor Port
Melaka Gateway Deep Sea Port (planned)
Myanmar
Thilawa Port
Dawei Port
Proposed
Kyaukphyu — for import of oil to China
Pakistan
Port Qasim
Gwadar Port
Port of Karachi
Philippines
Port of Manila
Batangas International Port
Port of Subic
Mabini Bulk Grains Terminal
Taiwan
Kaohsiung
Saudi Arabia
Dammam
Jeddah Seaport
Singapore
Port of Singapore
Sri Lanka
Colombo
Hambantota
Thailand
Laem Chabang (1991)
United Arab Emirates
Jebel Ali/Dubai
Vietnam
Cai Mep Thi Vai Port
Proposed
Van Phong Port
Europe
Nordic / Baltic
Reyðarfjörður, eastern Iceland
Narvik, northern Norway
Gothenburg, (west coast of Sweden) — largest port in Scandinavia
Aarhus, (post-Panamax, main port of Denmark)
Gdańsk, (Baltimax, post-Panamax, main port of Poland)
Rotterdam, South Holland (post-Panamax) — largest port in Europe
Zeebrugge, West Flanders, Belgium
Antwerp, Belgium
Dunkirk, northern France (different kinds of liquid and bulk handling.)
Le Havre, northern France (oil, coal, chemicals, container. Draft up to 82 feet)
Zeeland Seaports, Zeeland, ports of Vlissingen and Terneuzen
Iberia and Mediterranean
Algeciras, Andalusia, Spain
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
Gijon, Asturias, Spain (draft up to 59 feet)
Gioia Tauro, southern Italy
Marseille-Fos Port, France
Omišalj, Croatia (supertanker oil terminal)
Port of Rijeka, Croatia
Port of Genoa, Italy
Port of Lisbon, Portugal
Sines, Portugal
Port of Piraeus, Athens, Greece
Port of Thessaloniki, Greece
Port of Koper, Slovenia (post-Panamax)
Port of Trieste, Italy (draft up to 18m/59 feet)
Great Britain
Southampton, English Channel (post-Panamax, traditional liner port)
Teesport, Middlesbrough, North Sea
Falmouth, Cornwall, Atlantic Ocean
Port of Tyne, Newcastle, North Sea
Felixstowe, North Sea (post-Panamax, 35% of UK container traffic)
Barrow, Irish Sea
Liverpool, Irish Sea. New post-Panamax container terminal under construction, opening to coincide with the widening of the Panama Canal. Accommodates cruise ships of 345 metres (1,132 ft) in length and 10 metres (33 ft) draught.
Port Talbot, Bristol Channel
Milford Haven, Irish Sea
Invergordon, Moray Firth
Hunterston Terminal, Firth of Clyde
Hound Point, Firth of Forth
London Gateway. Thurrock, Thames Estuary
Portland Port, Portland Harbour, English Channel
Ireland
Cork, deep water multi modal port, south coast of Ireland. Celtic Sea/Atlantic Ocean.
Aughinish, Ireland
Moneypoint, Ireland
Ukraine
Port of Odesa, Black Sea
Oceania
Australia
(clockwise from north)
Port of Townsville — military port, mineral ores, fertilizer, concentrates, sugar and motor vehicles, able to accommodate 4 Panamax vessels at a time.
Abbot Point — coal export terminal
Dalrymple Bay — coal export terminal, part of Hay Point, Queensland
Hay Point — BHP Mitsubishi Alliance coal export terminal
Gladstone — coal
Brisbane — coal, containers
Newcastle — coal, wheat
Port Botany (Sydney) — containers
Port Kembla — coal, wheat, cars
Melbourne
Geelong
Portland, Victoria
Adelaide Outer Harbor — deepened to Post-Panamax in 2006
Port Giles
Port Bonython, Capesize — oil, LPG, diesel and proposed iron ore pending approval and construction of second jetty
Whyalla, South Australia — 65,000t ships in inner harbor, Capesize iron ore bulkers serviced in Spencer Gulf via transshipment
Port Lincoln — grain
Fremantle
Geraldton
Oakajee Port — under construction
Dampier — north west Western Australia — iron ore.
Cape Lambert upgrade 80 mtpa to 180 mtpa
Port Hedland — north west Western Australia — iron ore.
East Arm Wharf (Port of Darwin) — Panamax
New Zealand
Wellington
Ports of Auckland, Auckland
Lyttelton
Marsden Point, Whangārei
Port Taranaki, New Plymouth
Port Chalmers, Dunedin
Tauranga
(Source: Recount, Taranaki District Council newsletter, page 5.)
Other
Apra Harbor — deepwater port on the western side of Guam.