The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) plans to further reduce the number of crew available to Panama Canal tugboats during the transit of vessels in the new Neopanamax locks beginning in July, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) said in an emailed statement opposing the new policy. In their statement, the ITF said it was made aware of a communication sent on 30 … [Read more...]
ITF Responds to Panama Canal Authority: ‘Surprised and Disappointed’ by ACP’s Statement on Tugboat Captains
Editor’s Note: The International Transport Workers' Federation has issued the below statement in response to the Panama Canal Authority's (ACP) earlier statement stating that Panama Canal tugboat captains broke the law when they refused to comply with mandatory Panama Canal procedures causing a minor disruption in operations on April 12, 2018. The ACP statement was … [Read more...]
Panama Canal Responds: Tugboat Captains Broke the Law
Editor's Note: Below is the full statement provided by a representative of the Panama Canal in response to gCaptain's story Panama Canal Tugboat Captains Face Disciplinary Action After Raising Safety Concerns in New Neopanamax Locks. You can read gCaptain's full coverage of the dispute here. Statement from a Representative of the Panama Canal: On April 12, a brief and … [Read more...]
Panama Canal Tugboat Captains Face Disciplinary Action After Raising Safety Concerns in New Neopanamax Locks
Update: Panama Canal Says Tugboats Captains Broke the Law The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) is not providing proper staffing and equipment for new larger locks, putting workers and safe shipping at risk, according to tug captains who escort NeoPanamax containerships and LNG carriers through the recently-expanded Panama Canal. Rather than address safety issues that the … [Read more...]
Klaus Luhta Podcast: Panama Canal Towboat Operators Discuss Historic Work Stoppage
Panama Canal towboat Captains are part of the first-ever work stoppage in the canal's history, citing safety concerns. When the new canal locks were designed and built, the Panama Canal Authority proceeded with little to no input from the vocal towboat Captains, who made known then the potential safety issues with the proposed locks. The Canal Authority proceeded with its … [Read more...]