The sustainable design of port processes and the use of respective tools and frameworks for ports in Asia and Europe have received significant attention, while similar challenges and methods for the Latin American ports have not been examined to the same extent. This empirical study of the Latin American ports aims to establish the foundation of an agenda for researchers and practitioners dealing with challenges of sustainable port development in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). We present a structural comparison of the examined ports and current results from workshop-based focus group studies conducted in order to elaborate current sustainability challenges and practices in seven major LAC ports. In this way, we obtain insights into specific challenges of LAC ports on the way to more sustainable processes. We structure these insights with respect to the dimensions of sustainability in a staged conceptual reference model for sustainable ports in LAC. The developed model considers the development process of LAC ports and can function as a guideline for researchers and practitioners working in the field of sustainable port logistics and development in the region.