
Technical Data
Conditions
Overview
Cartagena, known since the imperial era as Cartagena de Indias, is a city and one of the major ports on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region, along the Caribbean Sea. Cartagena's past role as a link in the route to the West Indies provides it with important historical value for world exploration and preservation of heritage from the great commercial maritime routes. As a former Spanish colony, it was a key port for the export of Bolivian silver to Spain and for the import of enslaved Africans under the asiento system.
Location
10.4000°N, 75.5333°W
View on Google Maps →Port Congestion
Arrivals, time in port and cargo operations detected from AIS — the position-inferred congestion signal, with the full dwell distribution rather than a single average.
Vessels underway broadcasting a destination that resolves to this port, closest first. Distance is the real sea route (around land and through canals). Off port is steaming time at the vessel’s passage speed; alongside adds the wait this port has actually kept comparable ships for. Berth waits vary far more than they average, so read the queue as typical, not promised. The crew’s own reported ETA is shown alongside for comparison.
| Vessel | Type | Distance | Speed | Off port | Alongside | Crew ETA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPAR HYDRA | Bulk Carrier | 9 nm | 9.0 kn | 27 Aug | 28 Aug+8h | — |
Risk & quality
A coverage-weighted blend of recorded Port-State-Control detentions, marine casualties and live congestion at Cartagena Colombia. Higher means more risk exposure for a ship calling here — it is a count of recorded events, not a judgement of the port's management.
Built from 33% of the three signals (scored on a single signal — treat as indicative).
Method. Each signal is normalised to 0–10 against an empirical cap, then blended weighting safety (detentions 0.40, casualties 0.35) above operational congestion (0.25). A port is scored only on the signals it has data for, and the weights renormalise — a missing signal is never credited as a safe 0.
Coverage. PSC and casualty data here is regional (US, UK, Canada), so most ports show only congestion and carry a low-confidence flag. Detention/casualty counts come from a country-scoped name match (≈60% of US detentions resolve); unmatched records are dropped, not force-fit.
Detention and casualty signals are screened against open port-state-control and marine-casualty records, combined with our own AIS-derived congestion. Updated Aug 27, 2026.
Conditions