This article describes the competitive elements of the shipbuilding industry in Colombia, with special emphasis on the river, in order to identify potential in the sector and points to improve their competitiveness, bearing in mind that this is part of both productive bets national and regional level.In Colombia, the shipbuilding industry is underdeveloped, particularly with regard to river sector, while few yards, medium or large, that are geared exclusively to him, focusing mainly in small workshops and slipways with traditional processes and capacity constraints. Despite this, the analysis show that it is a sector that has not been much exploited and could be one of the key profitability and productivity with great potential.