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Shipping machinery from the U.S. to Central America

Trade lane

Shipping machinery from the U.S. to Central America

NYK’s RoRo ships sail from Jacksonville, Baltimore and Newark to Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras and Guatemala, Crowley’s weekly container service reaches Honduras 5 days after Jacksonville, and El Salvador and Nicaragua are reached by truck from those ports.

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days, Jacksonville to Puerto Cortés on Crowley’s weekly service[2]
5
days, Newark to Manzanillo, Panama on NYK’s listed sailings[1]
8–11
days by road from Santo Tomás de Castilla to El Salvador[2]
2
AES filing lead time for a used self-propelled machine[5]
72 h

How U.S. cargo reaches Central America

Central America is served from the East Coast by RoRo and by container. NYK’s USGX ships load at Jacksonville, Baltimore and Newark for Manzanillo in Panama, Puerto Limón, Puerto Cortés and Santo Tomás de Castilla; Newark is the last U.S. call, so it has the shortest transit, 8 to 11 days to Manzanillo[1]. Crowley’s weekly container service sails from Jacksonville on Saturday and reaches Puerto Cortés in 5 days and Santo Tomás in 6[2].

Panama also has RoRo calls from Texas and Florida: NYK’s North–South ships reached Manzanillo 5 to 12 days after Freeport[4], and a Höegh ship from Jacksonville arrived in 9 to 11[3].

El Salvador and Nicaragua had no direct U.S. call on these services. Crowley’s schedule gives 2 days by road from Santo Tomás to El Salvador and from Puerto Cortés to Nicaragua[2], so machines for those countries land in Guatemala or Honduras and finish by truck.

Published sailings from the U.S.

Each column is one carrier service. Crowley publishes fixed transit days for its weekly sailing; the other days run from the ship’s call at the U.S. port shown to its arrival, across the voyages the schedule listed when we checked it.

Map of U.S. load ports and destination portsU.S. load ports: Freeport, Jacksonville, Wilmington, Baltimore, Newark. Ports with a direct sailing: Santo Tomás de Castilla, Puerto Cortés, Puerto Limón, Manzanillo (Colón). Ports without one: Acajutla, Corinto.FreeportJacksonvilleWilmingtonBaltimoreNewarkSanto Tomás de CastillaPuerto CortésPuerto LimónManzanillo (Colón)AcajutlaCorinto
Solid line: RoRo serviceDashed line: container serviceOpen circle: no direct U.S. sailingSchematic. Port positions are approximate and lines show which ports a service links, not the ship’s track. Land: Natural Earth.
Published sailings from the U.S.
Destination portNYK RORO[1]USGXRoRoCrowley[2]NZV NortheastContainerNYK RORO[4]North–SouthRoRoHöegh Autoliners[3]Jacksonville – Colombia – PanamaRoRo
Loads atJacksonville, Baltimore, NewarkJacksonville, Wilmington, Gloucester City (NJ)FreeportJacksonville
Santo Tomás de Castilla
  • 14–17 days from Newark
  • 17–19 days from Baltimore
  • 20–23 days from Jacksonville
  • 6 days from Jacksonville
  • 7 days from Wilmington
No direct callNo direct call
Puerto Cortés
  • 12–15 days from Newark
  • 15–17 days from Baltimore
  • 18–21 days from Jacksonville
  • 5 days from Jacksonville
  • 6 days from Wilmington
No direct callNo direct call
Puerto Limón
  • 10–13 days from Newark
  • 13–15 days from Baltimore
  • 16–19 days from Jacksonville
No direct callNo direct callNo direct call
Manzanillo (Colón)
  • 8–11 days from Newark
  • 11–13 days from Baltimore
  • 14–17 days from Jacksonville
No direct call
  • 5–12 days from Freeport
  • 9–11 days from Jacksonville
AcajutlaNo direct callNo direct callNo direct callNo direct call
CorintoNo direct callNo direct callNo direct callNo direct call
  • NYK RORO: The ships load Jacksonville first, then Baltimore and Newark, before sailing south, so Newark has the shortest transit. They also call Cartagena and Veracruz.
  • Crowley: Weekly, with fixed sailing days: Jacksonville on Saturday. Gloucester City takes 7 days to Puerto Cortés and 8 to Santo Tomás. The schedule gives 2 days by road from Santo Tomás to El Salvador and from Puerto Cortés to Nicaragua.
  • NYK RORO: Panama is the first call after Freeport on the voyages that go on to Brazil and Argentina.
  • Höegh Autoliners: About one voyage a month on the vessel schedule when we checked, calling Colombia before Panama.

Which method for which machine

Shipping methods to Central America compared
MethodUse it whenAvoid it when
RoRoThe machine drives or tows and is going to Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras or Guatemala on the RoRo services above.The machine is near Jacksonville and fits a container or flat rack: the weekly container sailing is faster than the RoRo rotation from there.
Flat rackThe machine is wider or taller than a container door but within a flat rack’s payload, and a container line serves the port.The load is concentrated on a short footprint: the carrier reduces the rated payload when the weight does not spread over the floor.
ContainerThe machine fits through a 7 ft 8 in (2.34 m) wide door, as most compact equipment does, or can be taken apart to fit.Taking it apart costs more than the flat rack or RoRo premium, or the buyer cannot reassemble it at destination.
Heavy haul truckingThe machine lands in Guatemala or Honduras and finishes its trip by road to El Salvador or Nicaragua.The machine is over the road limits of a country on the route and a port in the destination country is served.

Import rules by country

Duty, VAT and other charges as recorded in our country guides, with the authority that publishes them and the month we checked. Duty on machinery follows its HS code and is confirmed before the machine ships.

Import rules by country
CountryImport dutyVATOther chargesPublished by
Panama≈15% (0–5 yrs), ≈25% (6–10 yrs), ≈35% (11–15 yrs)ITBMS 7%Vehicles over 6 years need emissions testing; Pensionado retirees may qualify for a duty exemptionAutoridad Nacional de Aduanas (Panama)checked June 2026
Costa Rica≈52% (<3 yrs), ≈63% (4–5 yrs), ≈79% (6+ yrs) of assessed valueIncluded in the combined tax stack (VAT 13%)Law 9996 one-time exemption for new residents within 6 months of approvalMinisterio de Hacienda / Aduanas (Costa Rica)checked June 2026
GuatemalaDAI ≈10–20% of CIF (EVs 0%)IVA 12% (on CIF + duty)IPRIMA first-registration tax ≈5–20% on the SAT depreciated valueSuperintendencia de Administración Tributaria (SAT)checked June 2026
HondurasCET duty by type (confirm by HS code)ISV 15%Selective/first-registration taxes; confirm current rates with a Honduran brokerAdministración Aduanera de Honduras (CET/RECAUCA)checked June 2026
El SalvadorCET duty by type (confirm by HS code)IVA 13%First-registration tax; age-based limits apply to used vehiclesDirección General de Aduanas (El Salvador)checked June 2026
NicaraguaCET duty by type (confirm by HS code)IVA 15%Selective consumption tax (ISC); age-based limits on used vehiclesDirección General de Servicios Aduaneros (Nicaragua)checked June 2026

U.S. export rules that apply on this lane

Used self-propelled vehicles: 72-hour ruleU.S. Customs and Border Protection

U.S. regulations count self-propelled construction and agricultural machinery as vehicles. A used one must be filed in AES at least 72 hours before export, whatever its value or destination, and the ITN, the VIN or serial number and the ownership documents go to CBP at the port of export. Filing after departure is not allowed.[6][5][7]

Applies to: Used machines that drive: excavators, loaders, dozers, tractors, trucks

Electronic Export Information (15 CFR 30)U.S. Census Bureau

Electronic Export Information is filed in AES for each Schedule B number worth more than $2,500 going to one consignee on one conveyance, and for every vehicle whatever its value. For vessel cargo it is due at least 24 hours before loading; the Internal Transaction Number (ITN) goes to the carrier with the booking.[8][7]

Applies to: Any Schedule B line over $2,500, and every vehicle

SOLAS verified gross mass (VGM)IMO

Since 1 July 2016 the shipper must give a signed verified gross mass for each packed container, found by weighing the packed unit or by adding the weighed cargo, lashing and dunnage to the container tare. The carrier needs it before the stowage plan is drawn up; without it the container is not loaded.[9]

Applies to: Every packed container, flat rack and open top

ISPM 15 wood packagingIPPC, administered in the U.S. by USDA APHIS

Wood packaging and dunnage must be heat-treated to a core temperature of 56 °C for at least 30 minutes, or fumigated, and carry the IPPC mark with the US country code, the facility number and HT or MB. Marked wood can be reused; repaired or remanufactured wood must be treated and marked again.[10]

Applies to: Crates, skids, blocking and dunnage

Questions about shipping to Central America

How long does shipping take from Florida to Honduras?

Crowley’s weekly container service takes 5 days from Jacksonville to Puerto Cortés. NYK’s RoRo ships took 18 to 21 days from Jacksonville, because they call Baltimore and Newark before sailing south.

How do I ship a machine to El Salvador?

By sea to Santo Tomás de Castilla in Guatemala or Puerto Cortés in Honduras, then by truck. Crowley’s schedule gives 2 days by road from Santo Tomás to El Salvador.

Is there a RoRo service to Costa Rica?

Yes. NYK’s USGX ships call Puerto Limón, 10 to 13 days from Newark and 13 to 15 from Baltimore on the listed sailings.

Countries We Serve in Central America

Sources

Every figure on this page comes from the documents below, each checked on the date shown. Carriers and authorities revise them, so we confirm the current figure when we book.

  1. [1]NYK RORO, USGX schedule: U.S. East Coast to Colombia, Panama, Mexico and Central America (week 42, 13 Oct 2026), checked October 18, 2026
  2. [2]Crowley, Central America Northern Zone Northeast schedule (24 Mar 2026), checked October 18, 2026
  3. [3]Höegh Autoliners, Sailing schedule by vessel (as listed 18 Oct 2026), checked October 18, 2026
  4. [4]NYK RORO, North–South loop schedule: U.S. Gulf, Mexico, Panama and East Coast South America (week 42, 16 Oct 2026), checked October 18, 2026
  5. [5]U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Exporting used self-propelled vehicles, checked October 18, 2026
  6. [6]eCFR, 19 CFR 192.1 Definitions (used self-propelled vehicles), checked October 18, 2026
  7. [7]U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Regulations FAQs, checked October 18, 2026
  8. [8]eCFR, 15 CFR 30.37 Miscellaneous exemptions (Foreign Trade Regulations), checked October 18, 2026
  9. [9]IMO, SOLAS verified gross mass requirement enters into force (1 July 2016), checked October 18, 2026
  10. [10]USDA APHIS, Export ISPM 15-compliant wood packaging material, checked October 18, 2026

Send us the machine and the destination

Give us the model or the measured dimensions and weight. We come back with the method, the sailing and a price, and the figures behind them.

Get a quoteor call +1 (888) 996-7619