Port of Esmeraldas
In short
Esmeraldas: no ships detected in port from AIS in the last 3 days (as of Oct 3, 2026, 21:13 UTC). Coverage depends on AIS reception in the area.
Watch this port
Get an email when Esmeraldas is busier than usual or is named in an official release.
We email you a link and a code. That creates a free account, no password or card, and follows Esmeraldas.
Free account, no card: follow up to 5 ships and ports. Plus follows 50, Pro 500.
By continuing you accept the Terms and the Privacy policy.
- In port now
- 0
- Arrivals, last 24 h
- 0
- Departures, last 24 h
- 0
- Ships nearby, last 6 h
- 0
Vessels near Esmeraldas
Ships Voydar received on AIS near the port in the last 6 hours, most recent first. Being near a port is not a port call; the board above lists calls.
No vessels detected near Esmeraldas in the last 6 hours. As our AIS coverage grows, arrivals and departures will appear here live.
Harbour & facilities
Harbour particulars for Esmeraldas from the NGA World Port Index (WPI port no. 15330). Depths in metres as charted by NGA.
- Harbour size
- Very small
- Harbour type
- River (natural)
- Shelter
- Fair
- Channel depth
- 9 m
- Anchorage depth
- 11 m
- Cargo pier depth
- 11 m
- Oil terminal depth
- 5 m
- Mean tide
- 2 m
- Pilotage compulsory
- Yes
- First port of entry
- No
Source: NGA World Port Index (Pub. 150). Licence: US Government public domain.
Not for navigation.
Forecast
Model forecast for Esmeraldas over the next 72 hours, every 6 hours: wind, gusts, waves and visibility. Times in UTC.
| Time (UTC) | Wind (kn) | From | Gusts (kn) | Waves (m) | Period (s) | Visibility (km) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 12° | 12 | 0.8 | 10 | 24 | |
| 6 | 52° | 10 | 0.9 | 9 | 24 | |
| 2 | 158° | 5 | 0.9 | 9 | 24 | |
| 2 | 164° | 7 | 0.9 | 10 | 24 | |
| 6 | 286° | 12 | 0.9 | 10 | 24 | |
| 5 | 205° | 9 | 0.9 | 10 | 24 | |
| 6 | 196° | 10 | 0.8 | 10 | 24 | |
| 5 | 283° | 9 | 0.8 | 11 | 24 | |
| 9 | 270° | 18 | 1 | 12 | 24 | |
| 3 | 247° | 5 | 0.9 | 12 | 24 | |
| 4 | 183° | 8 | 0.8 | 12 | 12 |
Forecast: ECMWF IFS 0.25° + ECMWF WAM, run of Oct 3, 2026, 12:00 UTC. Visibility: NOAA GFS 0.25° + GFS-Wave (WAVEWATCH III), run of Oct 3, 2026, 12:00 UTC. Waves are taken from the wave model's nearest sea point, 11 km away.
Source: ECMWF open data (IFS 0.25° forecasts, ECMWF WAM waves). This service is based on data and products of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Source: www.ecmwf.int. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Licence: CC-BY-4.0 + ECMWF Terms of Use.
Source: NOAA GFS 0.25° and GFS-Wave (WAVEWATCH III) forecasts. Forecast: NOAA NCEP GFS / GFS-Wave (WAVEWATCH III). Licence: US Government work (public domain); NOAA Open Data Dissemination.
A model forecast, not an observation. Not for navigation.
Marine conditions near Esmeraldas
Live wind, waves and water temperature from nearby NOAA buoys and tide gauges — free government data the incumbents charge for.
Weather buoys
Source: NOAA National Data Buoy Center & CO-OPS Tides & Currents — public domain.
Esmeraldas: daily port calls from satellite AIS (IMF PortWatch)
Estimates published by the International Monetary Fund's PortWatch, built from satellite and terrestrial AIS. They cover waters our own receivers do not reach yet. These are the IMF's figures, not Voydar's counts.
The IMF estimates 2 port calls in the 7 days and 4 in the 30 days to Sep 25, 2026. That is 33% more than the same 30 days a year earlier (3).
- Container
- 0
- Tanker
- 3
- Dry bulk
- 1
- General cargo
- 0
- Ro-ro
- 0
Estimated cargo loaded and discharged in those 30 days: 0 million tonnes.
09-12 0 | 09-13 0 | 09-14 0 | 09-15 0 | 09-16 0 | 09-17 0 | 09-18 0 | 09-19 0 | 09-20 0 | 09-21 0 | 09-22 1 | 09-23 0 | 09-24 1 | 09-25 0 |
Sources: Kpler; UN Global Platform; IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org). IMF estimates, updated weekly; the latest days are revised. portwatch.imf.org. Counts cover container ships, tankers, dry bulk, general cargo and ro-ro vessels (30-day totals above).
Esmeraldas: global benchmarks
How Esmeraldas compares with the world's ports, from published statistics. These are the publishers' figures, not Voydar's own measurements.
- Port liner shipping connectivity, 4 2020
- 18.6
- UNCTAD index (100 = the average port in Q1 2023). Down 35% on a year earlier.
- Source: UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Data Hub, port liner shipping connectivity index (CC BY 3.0 IGO). Retrieved Sep 24, 2026.
Piracy and anti-shipping incidents nearby
5 incidents within 100 km of the port in NGA's Anti-Shipping Activity Messages (ASAM) archive since Nov 25, 2006. NGA stopped updating the archive in 2024. The most recent:
- Pirate AssaultAug 5, 2017Cargo Ship0 km away
ECUADOR: On 05 August, robbers, unnoticed by the crew, boarded a berthed container ship near position 01-00N 079-39W, Esmeraldas Port. The thieves stole brass sounding pipe covers and escaped. The theft was noticed by duty crew on routine rounds.
- Pirate AssaultAug 19, 2011Tanker0 km away
ESMERALDAS ANCHORAGE, ECUADOR: Duty watchman onboard an anchored chemical tanker noticed three robbers on the forecastle deck. One of the robbers shouted at the watchman and threatened him with a long knife. The watchman ran away and informed the duty officer on the bridge who raised the alarm. Seeing crew alertness the robbers escaped with ship stores. Port authorites informed.
- Pirate AssaultNov 8, 2008Sailing Vessel56 km away
Punta Pedernales, Ecuador: Five armed robbers in a small fishing boat boarded an anchored yacht on 08 Nov 08 at 1400 UTC in 00:48N 080:07W. They roughed up the crew and stole valuables and yacht's property. With the assistance of another yacht, the incident was reported to USCG Alameda who then contacted the Ecuadorian authorities. The authorities advised the yachts to meet at Punta Galera.
- Pirate AssaultNov 8, 2008Sailing Vessel56 km away
ECUADOR: Yacht boarded, robbed 8 Nov 2008 at 0800 local time while anchored in position 00-48N 080-07W, Punta Pedernales. Five armed robbers boarded the yacht at anchor. They roughed up the crew and stole money and electronic items. Injuries consisted of cuts and bruises. With the assistance of another yacht, the incident was reported to (USCG ALAMEDA) who then contacted the Ecuadorian authorities (IMB, Noonsite).
- Pirate AssaultNov 25, 2006Sailing Vessel1 km away
ECUADOR: Sailing vessel (ROBINS NEST) attacked by unknown vessel 25 Nov, 80nm NW of Esmeraldas. The (ROBIN'S NEST) issued a mayday call (picked up by the (USS ROBERT G BRADLEY) and US Coast Guard Communication Area Master Station Atlantic (CAMSLANT)) reporting that it was under attack and that the vessel (ROBIN'S NEST) reported having repelled boarders with a flare gun, but the suspect vessel was continuing pursuit. The Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATFS) diverted the (USS ROBERT G BRADL
Source: NGA Anti-Shipping Activity Messages. This reproduction, partial or complete, of any National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) or Defense Mapping Agency (DMA) product, information or data is not approved, authorized or endorsed by the Secretary of Defense, the Director of National Intelligence, the Director, NGA or any other element of the US Government. The US Government and NGA accept no liability for the accuracy or quality of this reproduction or the use of any NGA, NIMA or DMA products, information or data. Licence: US Government work — "NGA claims no copyright or other intellectual property right".
Tools for this port
Use this data
This page is also available as JSON, free, with the source and licence of every section. Sections whose sources do not permit redistribution are listed as withheld.
GET /api/v1/ports/ECESMUsing this data in code?
Every account gets a personal API allowance: 2,500 credits a month free, 25,000 with Pro. Pro adds internal business use; API plans add building the data into your own products.