A Coast Guard Sector San Juan inspections team discovered an Anhydrous Ammonia hazardous cargo shipment threatening the safety and security of the Puerto Nuevo Terminals (PNT) port facility last Wednesday.
A Coast Guard investigation into the situation is ongoing.
A team of three Coast Guard Marine Science Technicians conducting a routine examination at the facility identified three tank-containers, one of which was deemed to be unlawful, with more than 5,000 gallons of Anhydrous Ammonia, a hazardous, highly toxic and corrosive gas or colorless liquid which is flammable in high concentrations. The product is used for various industrial applications including detergents, pesticides and fertilizers, among others.
After the finding, an interagency team including personnel from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Coast Guard Investigative Services (CGIS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigrations and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), U.S. Army National Guard, and the U.S. Marshals Service conducted a sweep of Puerto Nuevo Terminals, inspecting other containers.
According to the official statement released by a Puerto Nuevo Terminal spokesman, “The safety of operations of the materials imported to Puerto Rico through the Puerto Nuevo Terminal (PNT) is our number one priority. We are actively working with the US Coast Guard to resolve the matter with the steamship line, and out of an abundance of caution, we immediately enacted additional processes for all commodities entering PNT.”
The port facility’s inability to meet safety compliance measures regarding their firefighting capability continues to be an ongoing concern for the Coast Guard. A Coast Guard Captain of the Port Order was issued to Puerto Nuevo Terminals on Feb. 27, 2025, explicitly prohibiting the facility from storing and handing certain hazardous materials due to the facility’s lack of adequate firefighting capability. Anhydrous Ammonia was included among the prohibited hazardous cargoes. For more information about the Feb. 27 action by Sector San Juan Captain of the Port, review this linked press release.
The original announcement can be found here.