The Panama Canal Board of Directors has appointed Mr. Ricaurte Vasquez as the next Panama Canal Administrator, succeeding current Administrator Jorge L. Quijano who will conclude his seven-year term at the helm of the waterway later this year. Mr. Vasquez will take office on September 4, 2019 Vasquez will become the fourth Panamanian Administrator of the waterway shortly … [Read more...]
Fatigued Tugboat Captains Flag Accident Risk in Expanded Panama Canal
By Elida Moreno PANAMA CITY, Dec 20 (Reuters) - In April last year, the 148-tonne tugboat Cerro Santiago collided with the U.S. Coast Guard vessel Tampa while passing through the Panama Canal after the captain of the tug fell asleep. No one was injured, but the repairs to the Tampa cost $170,000, said a report by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, a government … [Read more...]
ITF: Panama Canal Authority On Course to Undermine Reputation of Panama’s Most Vital National Asset
Below is a statement provided by the International Transport Workers' Federation in response to the Panama Canal Authority's (ACP) alleged rebuke of an independent study commissioned by the ITF which found that fatigue of Panama Canal tugboat poses a major threat to safety in the operation of the Panama Canal’s Neopanamax locks. The International Transport Workers’ … [Read more...]
Revitalised Panama Canal Eyes Expansion of Port and Logistics Capacity
By Gavin van Marle in Panama (The Loadstar) - Following a strong year in terms of growth in vessel transits, the Panama Canal Authority is once more turning its attention to building port capacity as well as new zones for increased logistics activity. In the keynote speech at this week’s TOC Americas Container Supply Chain event, authority administrator and chief … [Read more...]
Panama Canal Sets New Annual Tonnage Record in 2018
The Panama Canal has set a new annual record for the total amount of tonnage that passed through the waterway over the course a fiscal year, recording a total tonnage 442.1 million Panama Canal tons (PC/UMS) in FY 2018. This amounts to a 9.5 percent increase compared to 2017, when 403.8 million PC/UMS passed through the Canal. The figure also surpasses forecasted estimates … [Read more...]