Introduction
Roughly 80–90% of global merchandise trade, by volume, moves by sea, and every Container, Tanker, RoRo or Bulk carrier that crosses an ocean eventually calls at a sea port. For anyone working in shipping, logistics, freight forwarding, supply chain management, or international trade compliance, knowing the world's major sea ports — and being able to identify them precisely is very important.
This is where UN/LOCODE comes in. Short for the United Nations Code for Trade and Transport Locations, UN/LOCODE is a standardized system maintained by UNECE (the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) that assigns a unique five-character code to ports, airports, and other trade-related locations worldwide. The code follows a simple structure: a two-letter country code (based on ISO 3166-1) followed by a three-letter location code — for example, INNSA for Nhava Sheva (Jawaharlal Nehru Port) in India, or NLRTM for Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
UN/LOCODE Code List by Country and Territory Link: https://unece.org/trade/cefact/unlocode-code-list-country-and-territory
Why does this matter? Because port names alone are often ambiguous. There are multiple ports named "Manzanillo," "Santa Marta," or "Georgetown" around the world, and shipping documents, customs declarations, bills of lading, and EDI messages need an unambiguous, machine-readable reference. UN/LOCODE solves this by giving every port a single, globally recognized identifier — making it indispensable in shipping instructions, customs filings, port community systems, and logistics software.
In this guide, we've compiled a comprehensive, continent-by-continent and country-by-country reference of the world's major sea ports along with their corresponding UN/LOCODEs — covering Canada, North America West Coast, North America East Coast, US Gulf Coast, Latin-South America, South America East Coast, Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia, and Australia/New Zealand.
Canada
| COUNTRY | PORT NAME | UN/LOCODE |
| CANADA | MONTREAL | CAMTR |
| TORONTO | CATOR | |
| VANCOUVER | CAVAN |
North America West Coast
| COUNTRY | PORT NAME | UN/LOCODE |
| USA | LONG BEACH | USLGB |
| SAN FRANCISCO | USSFO | |
| OAKLAND | USOAK | |
| PORTLAND | USDTP | |
| TACOMA | USTIW | |
| SEATTLE | USSEA | |
| LOS ANGELES | USLAX |
North America East Coast
| COUNTRY | PORT NAME | UN/LOCODE |
| USA | MIAMI | USMIA |
| PORT EVERGLADES | USPEF | |
| JACKSONVILLE | USJ3C | |
| SAVANNAH | USSAV | |
| CHARLESTON | USCHS | |
| NORFOLK | USORF | |
| NEW YORK | USNYC | |
| BALTIMORE | USBAL | |
| PHILADELPHIA | USPHL | |
| NEWARK | USEWR | |
| BOSTON | USBOS |
US Gulf Coast
| COUNTRY | PORT NAME | UN/LOCODE |
| USA | HOUSTON | USHOU |
| NEW ORLEANS | USMSY |
Latin-South America
| COUNTRY | PORT NAME | UN/LOCODE |
| MEXICO | MANZANILLO | MXZLO |
| VERACRUZ | MXVER | |
| ALTAMIRA | MXATM | |
| LAZARO CARDENAS | MXLZC | |
| ENSENADA | MXESE | |
| COLOMBIA | BUENAVENTURA | COBUN |
| CARTAGENA | COCTG | |
| BARRANQUILLA | COBAQ | |
| SANTA MARTA | COSMR | |
| CHILE | VALPARAISO | CLVAP |
| SAN ANTONIO | CLSAI | |
| PERU | CALLAO | PECLL |
| COSTA RICA | PUERTO CALDERA | CRPTC |
| PUERTO LIMON | CRLIO | |
| ECUADOR | GUAYAQUIL | ECGYE |
| EL SALVADOR | ACAJUTLA | SVAQJ |
| GUATEMALA | PUERTO QUETZAL | GTPRQ |
| PANAMA | MANZANILLO | PAMIT |
| BALBOA | PABLB | |
| COLON | PAONX | |
| PUERTO RICO | SAN JUAN | PRSJU |
| URUGUAY | MONTEVIDEO | UYMVD |
South America East Coast
| COUNTRY | PORT NAME | UN/LOCODE |
| ARGENTINA | BUENOS AIRES | ARBUE |
| ROSARIO | ARROS | |
| BRAZIL | SUAPE | BRSUA |
| RIO DE JANEIRO | BRRIO | |
| ITAPOA | BRIOA | |
| SANTOS | BRSSZ | |
| NAVEGANTES | BRNVT | |
| ITAJAI | BRITJ | |
| RIO GRANDE | BRRIG |
Europe
| COUNTRY | PORT NAME | UN/LOCODE |
| BELGIUM | ANTWERP (Antwerpen) | BEANR |
| BULGARIA | VARNA | BGVAR |
| DENMARK | COPENHAGEN (København) | DKCPH |
| AARHUS | DKAAR | |
| FINLAND | HELSINKI | FIHEL |
| FRANCE | LE HAVRE | FRLEH |
| MARSEILLE | FRMRS | |
| GEORGIA | POTI | GEPTI |
| GERMANY | HAMBURG | DEHAM |
| BREMERHAVEN | DEBRV | |
| BREMEN | DEBRE | |
| GREECE | PIRAEUS | GRPIR |
| ITALY | GIOIA TAURO | ITGIT |
| LA SPEZIA | ITSPE | |
| GENOA (Genova) | ITGOA | |
| RAVENNA | ITRAN | |
| CAGLIARI | ITCAG | |
| NETHERLANDS | ROTTERDAM | NLRTM |
| AMSTERDAM | NLAMS | |
| NORWAY | OSLO | NOOSL |
| POLAND | GDYNIA | PLGDY |
| GDANSK | PLGDN | |
| PORTUGAL | LISBON (Lisboa) | PTLIS |
| SINES | PTSIE | |
| ROMANIA | CONSTANTA | ROCND |
| RUSSIA | SAINT PETERSBURG | RULED |
| NOVOROSSIYSK | RUNVS | |
| SPAIN | VALENCIA | ESVLC |
| BARCELONA | ESBCN | |
| ALGECIRAS | ESALG | |
| BILBAO | ESBIO | |
| SWEDEN | STOCKHOLM | SESTO |
| GOTHENBURG (Göteborg) | SEGOT | |
| UNITED KINGDOM | FELIXSTOWE | GBFXT |
| LONDON GATEWAY | GBLGP | |
| SOUTHAMPTON | GBSOU | |
| LIVERPOOL | GBLIV | |
| BELFAST | GBBEL |
Africa
| COUNTRY | PORT NAME | UN/LOCODE |
| DJIBOUTI | DJIBOUTI | DJJIB |
| KENYA | MOMBASA | KEMBA |
| NIGERIA | TIN CAN | NGTIN |
| LAGOS | NGLOS | |
| APAPA | NGAPP | |
| ONNE | NGONN | |
| MOROCCO | CASABLANCA | MACAS |
| MAURITIUS | PORT LOUIS | MUPLU |
| SOUTH AFRICA | DURBAN | ZADUR |
| CAPE TOWN | ZACPT | |
| TANZANIA | DAR ES SALAAM | TZDAR |
| TOGO | LOME | TGLFW |
| GHANA | TEMA | GHTEM |
| IVORY COAST (Côte d'Ivoire) | ABIDJAN | CIABJ |
| SENEGAL | DAKAR | SNDKR |
Middle East
| COUNTRY | PORT NAME | UN/LOCODE |
| UAE | JEBEL ALI | AEJEA |
| PORT RASHID | AEPRA | |
| KHALIFA PORT (Mina Khalifa) | AEKHL | |
| ZAYED PORT (Mina Zayed) | AEMZD | |
| MUSAFFAH PORT | AEAMF | |
| SHARJAH | AESHJ | |
| KHOR FAKKAN (Khor al Fakkan) | AEKLF | |
| HAMRIYAH (Hamriya Free Zone Port) | AEHZP | |
| FUJAIRAH (Al Fujayrah) | AEFJR | |
| RAS AL KHAIMAH | AERKT | |
| AJMAN | AEAJM | |
| UMM AL QUWAIN | AEQIW | |
| SAUDI ARABIA | DAMMAM (Ad Dammam) | SADMM |
| JEDDAH | SAJED | |
| QATAR | HAMAD | QAHNA |
| OMAN | SOHAR | OMSOH |
| SALALAH | OMSLL | |
| KUWAIT | SHUWAIKH | KWSWK |
| SHUAIBA | KWSAA | |
| BAHRAIN | KHALIFA BIN SALMAN | BHKBS |
| JORDAN | AQABA (Al 'Aqabah) | JOAQJ |
| EGYPT | ALEXANDRIA | EGALY |
| PORT SAID | EGPSD | |
| DAMIETTA | EGDAM | |
| EL DEKHEILA | EGEDK | |
| TURKEY (Türkiye) | HAYDARPASA | TRHAY |
| AMBARLI | TRAMR | |
| IZMIR | TRIZM | |
| MERSIN | TRMER |
Asia
| COUNTRY | PORT NAME | UN/LOCODE |
| BANGLADESH | CHITTAGONG (Chattogram) | BDCGP |
| CAMBODIA | SIHANOUKVILLE (Kâmpóng Saôm) | KHKOS |
| CHINA | SHANGHAI | CNSGH |
| SHENZHEN | CNSNZ | |
| NINGBO | CNNBO | |
| GUANGZHOU | CNGGZ | |
| QINGDAO | CNQIN | |
| TIANJIN | CNTNJ | |
| DALIAN | CNDAL | |
| XIAMEN | CNXAM | |
| HONG KONG | HONG KONG | HKHKG |
| INDONESIA | JAKARTA | IDJKT |
| SURABAYA | IDSUB | |
| JAPAN | NAGOYA | JPNGO |
| TOKYO | JPTYO | |
| OSAKA | JPOSA | |
| KOBE | JPUKB | |
| MALAYSIA | PORT KLANG | MYPKG |
| PENANG | MYPEN | |
| PAKISTAN | KARACHI | PKKHI |
| PHILIPPINES | MANILA | PHMNL |
| SINGAPORE | SINGAPORE | SGSIN |
| SOUTH KOREA | BUSAN | KRPUS |
| SRI LANKA | COLOMBO | LKCMB |
| THAILAND | BANGKOK | THBKK |
| LAEM CHABANG | THLCH | |
| TAIWAN | KAOHSIUNG | TWKHH |
| KEELUNG | TWKEL | |
| TAICHUNG | TWTXG | |
| VIETNAM | HAI PHONG | VNHPH |
| DANANG | VNDAD | |
| HO CHI MINH CITY | VNSGN | |
| INDIA | NHAVA SHEVA (Jawaharlal Nehru Port) | INNSA |
| MUNDRA | INMUN | |
| VIZHINJAM (Vazhinjam per UN/LOCODE) | INVZJ |
Australia & New Zealand
| COUNTRY | PORT NAME | UN/LOCODE |
| AUSTRALIA | BRISBANE | AUBNE |
| SYDNEY | AUSYD | |
| FREMANTLE | AUFRE | |
| MELBOURNE | AUMEL | |
| ADELAIDE | AUADL | |
| NEW ZEALAND | AUCKLAND | NZAKL |
| WELLINGTON | NZWLG | |
| LYTTELTON | NZLYT | |
| NAPIER | NZNPE | |
| NELSON | NZNSN |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1. What is UN/LOCODE?
A: UN/LOCODE (United Nations Code for Trade and Transport Locations) is a globally standardized coding system maintained by UNECE that assigns a unique code to locations used in trade and transport — including seaports, airports, dry ports, and border crossings.
Q2. What is the format of a UN/LOCODE?
A: Every UN/LOCODE consists of five characters: a two-letter country code (per ISO 3166-1 alpha-2) followed by a three-letter location code, e.g., USNYC for New York, CNSGH for Shanghai.
Q3. Who maintains and issues UN/LOCODE?
A: UN/LOCODE is maintained by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). National authorities typically nominate or request codes for locations within their country, which UNECE then reviews and publishes.
Q4. Why is UN/LOCODE important in shipping and logistics?
A: It removes ambiguity in trade documentation. Since many port and city names repeat across countries, a standardized code ensures customs authorities, carriers, freight forwarders, and software systems all refer to the exact same location without confusion.
Q5. Where is UN/LOCODE used in practice?
A: It appears in bills of lading, customs declarations, EDI/ANSI X12 and EDIFACT messages, port community systems, vessel manifests, and most modern freight and supply chain software platforms.
Q6. Is UN/LOCODE the same as a port code used by shipping lines?
A: Not always. While UN/LOCODE is the internationally recognized standard, some shipping lines, terminal operators, or customs systems use their own internal port codes for specific operational purposes. However, UN/LOCODE remains the common reference point across systems.
Q7. How often is the UN/LOCODE list updated?
A: UNECE typically publishes updates to the UN/LOCODE list periodically (historically around once or twice a year), adding new locations and revising existing entries as needed.
Q8. Does every port in the world have a UN/LOCODE?
A: Most major and many minor ports have an assigned UN/LOCODE, but not every small harbor or private jetty is listed. The database focuses on locations relevant to international trade and transport.
Q9. How is a UN/LOCODE different from an ISO country code?
A: The first two letters of a UN/LOCODE are the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code, but the full five-letter code adds a specific location within that country — so the ISO code alone tells you the country, while the UN/LOCODE pinpoints the exact port or city.
Q10. Can UN/LOCODE be used for modes of transport other than sea freight?
A: Yes. Although closely associated with seaports, UN/LOCODE also covers airports, rail terminals, road terminals, and inland clearance depots, making it a multimodal reference system.