Port profile · PABLB
Balboa
Balboa is a medium lake or canal harbour on the Gulf of Panama, in Panama. Its UN/LOCODE is PABLB. Pilotage is compulsory, tugs are available and it is a first port of entry. Balboa offers fuel oil and diesel, provisions, ship stores, fresh water, major repairs and a large dry dock. Vessel Hunter tracks its live arrivals and the vessels heading its way.
Port profile
Live at Balboa
What members see for Balboa, updated as vessels move.
Heading here
MembersEvery vessel bound for Balboa, with ETA, owner, operator and the contact who decides.
In port now
MembersThe vessels alongside or at anchor at Balboa right now, and who runs them.
Arrival profile
MembersHow many vessels arrive at Balboa day by day over the next two weeks, by type.
Port calls and time in port
MembersRecent calls at Balboa and how long each vessel stayed.
Services and supplies
What Balboa offers a visiting ship, as the port index records it. Lines the index does not state are left out.
Supplies
- Fuel oil
- Yes
- Diesel
- Yes
- Fresh water
- Yes
- Provisions
- Yes
- Deck stores
- Yes
- Engine stores
- Yes
Repair
- Ship repairs
- Major
- Dry dock
- Large
- Slipway
- Medium
- Electrical repair
- Yes
Harbour
- Pilotage
- Compulsory
- Tugs
- Yes
- Stevedores
- Yes
- Mobile cranes
- Yes
- Lifts of 100 t+
- Yes
Waste and health
- Garbage reception
- Yes
- Dirty ballast reception
- Yes
- Medical facilities
- Yes
Approach and berths
Shelter, entrance, clearance and cargo berths at Balboa, as the nautical port index records them. Depths are not shown: the index gives them as broad bands for one point in the port, too coarse to plan a call on.
Approach
- Shelter
- Good
- Entrance restrictions
- None
- Pilotage available
- Yes
- Pilotage advisable
- Yes
- Tug assistance
- Yes
- ETA message required
- Yes
- Good holding ground
- Yes
- Turning area
- Yes
- Overhead limits
- Yes
Entry
- First port of entry
- Yes
- Free pratique
- Yes
- Sanitation inspection
- Yes
Cargo and berths
- Wharves
- Yes
- Anchorage
- No
- Med mooring
- No
- Beach mooring
- No
- Ice mooring
- No
- Fixed cranes
- Yes
Connections
- Airport nearby
- Yes
- Rail connection
- Yes
Port state control at Balboa
Inspections of foreign ships carried out at Balboa, counted per year.
| Year | Inspections | Detentions | Detention rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 so far | 2 | 1 | 50% |
| 2025 | 5 | 0 | 0% |
Over the last two years an inspection here found 14.0 deficiencies on average.
See which ships were inspected and detained at Balboa, and what was found.
Ports near Balboa
Other Panama ports on the same stretch of coast.
- VacamontePanama · PAVAC
- Panama CanalPanama · PAPCN
- ManzanilloPanama · PAMIT
- CristobalPanama · PACTB
- ColonPanama · PAONX
- Chiriqui GrandePanama · PACHG
- Bocas Del ToroPanama · PABOC
- AlmirantePanama · PAPAM
Latest news
Questions about Balboa
What is the UN/LOCODE of Balboa?
The UN/LOCODE of Balboa is PABLB.
Is pilotage compulsory in Balboa?
Yes. The nautical port index lists pilotage in Balboa as compulsory.
Can ships take bunkers in Balboa?
Yes. Balboa offers fuel oil and diesel, according to the nautical port index.
Does Balboa have a dry dock?
Yes. Balboa has a large dry dock and major ship repairs.
Is Balboa a first port of entry?
Yes. Ships arriving from abroad can clear in at Balboa.
How many port state control inspections are there in Balboa?
5 port state control inspections were recorded in Balboa in 2025, and 0 of them ended in a detention.
See who is calling at Balboa
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