Nicaragua has ports along the coast of both oceans and in Lake Cocibolca and Lake Xolotlán.  The history of Nicaragua as a transit gateway goes back to the early years of the colony, when it was part of the route towards what was the kingdom of Peru, and El Realejo was a reference point on the American coasts. This situation remained unchanged until the middle of the nineteenth century, when Tomas Martinez, then-president, authorized the establishment of the port city at the bay of El Realejo, now known as Corinto.

 

In the nineteenth century, with the establishment of the " Compañía Accesoria del Tránsito”, port development in Nicaragua witnessed an increase with the stream of steamboats, carriages and other traffic on the Río San Juan and lake Cocibolca, carrying lots of adventurers and other people during the so called Gold Rush to the west coast of the United States; this proved once again that in trade, the shortest route is not a straight line, but it is the one that is most economical and safe instead.  The ports of San Juan del Sur, San Jorge, La Virgen and Río San Juan, are up until today an obligatory destination to see the tourist attractions of the country mentioned by travelers from that era, among these travelers Samuel Clemens stands out ( Mark Twain).

On the Atlantic coast, in Bluefields, harbor facilities existed under the dominion of England.  These facilities were integrated to the new Nicaraguan harbor network at the beginning of the twentieth century, when President Jose Santos Zelaya included once again the territory of the Atlantic coast in the national territory. Also during the first half of the twentieth century, a port with the name of Puerto Cabezas is created, these harbor facilities however were initially of exclusive use of an American company, that had carried out the construction work.
 
In the year 1955 a port with the name of Port Somoza was constructed , meant to be of exclusive use of the dictator with that last name and his close friends. This port was integrated to the national harbor system by the revolutionary government in 1980, with the present name of those facilities, Puerto Sandino, in honor to our maximum National Hero, Augusto C. Sandino.

At the end of the year 1956, the harbor authority of Corinto was founded. In the second half of the twentieth century, with the construction of strategic roads in the country, a road connection between the Pacific and towns of the South Atlantic was established leading all the way to the shores of the Río Escondido, more specifically to the town of El Rama, where already a small river port existed, that provided access to the port of Bluefields

On the coasts of Lake Cocibolca, small harbor facilities already existed, in Granada, San Carlos, San Jorge, Moyogalpa and Altagracia, managed by the municipal delegations, and in San Miguelito, managed by the Railroad Company of Nicaragua that existed back then. In the middle of the eighties, the Revolutionary Government initiated the creation of a deep water port on the Atlantic Coast, in the sector of El Bluff.  The construction work already done was destroyed by hurricane Juana in 1988.

With decree number 405 of May 17, 1980, the Revolutionary Government created the National Ports Company (Empresa Nacional de Puertos or ENAP), a top level organization that governs all the harbor facilities of the country under its single command.  Later, on June 27 of 1995, with decree number 35-95, the National Port Company is created (Empresa Portuaria Nacional or EPN), successor without interrupting the continuity of ENAP, which still exists until today.

Currently, the EPN has six international ports under its jurisdiction, three on the coast of the Pacific Ocean and three on the Atlantic coast, in addition to 7 lake ports in Lake Cocibolca and one port in Lake Xolotlán.  Another one in the municipality of San Francisco Libre is currently under construction. The EPN is making considerable efforts to continue modernizing the facilities of all their ports, develop greater efficiency and competitiveness  with an adequate level of security and total respect and fulfillment of the norms and international treaties subscribed by the Nicaraguan government.