After two proposals were disqualified and another participant withdrew, the consortium formed by two Chinese state construction companies won the tender to design and build the fourth bridge over the Panama Canal.
After Dragados Sucursal Panama, the company that had obtained the best qualification decided to withdraw from the contest, the road was paved for the consortium made up of the companies China State Construction Engineering Corporation LTD and China Railway Group Limited, to win the contest with a economic proposal of $1.42 billion and a score of 69,9%.
Between $1.211 billion and $1.813 million is the range of proposals submitted by companies interested in designing and building the fourth bridge over the Panama Canal.
Of the four pre-qualified companies, Dragados Sucursal Panamá S.A., chose not to present their proposal at the event convened by the institution.
From a statement issued by the Ministry of Public Works:
In 2017, 6 million tons of natural gas passed through the interoceanic route, and by 2020 this figure could rise to 30 million tons.
Explained by an increase in supply in the US deposits and of reserves in Australia, the Panama Canal Authority estimates that in the next three years natural gas traffic could grow fivefold compared to the amount reported in 2017.
For the fiscal year ending September 2018, the authorities foresee that the cargo that will transit through the Canal will reach 431 million tons, 7% more than in the previous period.
According to the Panama Canal Authority, the main reasons for the predicted growth in cargo passing through its facilities are the improvement registered in international prices of raw materials and the increase in demand from emerging economies.
Through an agreement with the union of soy and corn producers in Mato Grosso, promotion will be given to the the transfer of grains from the north of Brazil to markets in Asia.
The Canal Authority reported that "...The agreement allows the coordination of joint marketing activities, exchange of market studies and information on commercial flows, as well as modernization and improvement programs."
In Panama, growth in water consumption is putting pressure on reservoirs and forcing the design of new alternatives for improving infrastructure, starting with the creation of new reservoirs.
Data from the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) indicates that 350 million gallons of water are currently being consumed per day, an amount that it was thought would not be reached until 2025.
Opposition on the part of a port operator and residents in the area is preventing the development of a terminal that would speed up maritime traffic in the Panamanian Pacific and result in lower logistics costs.
The opposition that has been expressed by the current operator of the port of Balboa, on top of the legal actions filed by groups of residents, lawyers and environmental organizations, has prevented the ACP's project to build a port in Corozal from advancing.The tender was declared void in March of last year, after having been postponed twice.
A year and a half after having published the tender for its design and construction, the company that will be responsible for designing and building the bridge has not yet been selected.
According to the tender specifications, the initial date to deliver bids was April 25, 2016, but the Ministry of Public Works (MOP) repeatedly decided to postpone the act to receive proposals to build the fourth bridge, which it is planned to be built within a period of 42 months, with an estimated investment of $1 billion.
At the close of fiscal year 2017, the operation of the Canal generated surpluses of $1,194 million, 90% more than in 2016.
From a statement issued by the Panama Canal Authority:
The Board of Directors of the Panama Canal today gave approval to remit to the National Treasury surpluses of B / .1,194 million corresponding to fiscal year 2017, an increase of 89.2% compared to 2016 which reaffirms the Panamanian capacity to administer the interoceanic route in an efficient and profitable way.
The Ro-Ro terminal the Panama Canal Authority is considering to build on the west side would require a $200 million investment.
The purpose of a specialized rolling cargo terminal is to turn the area where it will be built into a center for redistribution for vehicles, machinery and heavy equipment to serve the local market and other Latin American countries.
The Panama Canal Authority is evaluating constructing a Liquefied Natural Gas supply terminal on the Pacific Coast, with an investment that could be around $100 million.
Oscar Bazán, executive vice president of Planning and Commercial Development of the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), told Elcapitalfinanciero.com that "... they have already completed an exploratory study to determine the feasibility of installing aliquified natural gas supply terminal (LNG) on the Pacific coast. The study was conducted with cooperation funds from the United States Trade and Development Agency (Ustda)."
The annual tonnage recorded at the close of fiscal year 2017 exceeded the tonnage moved through the Canal in 2016 by 22%.
The Panama Canal has set a record in annual tonnage at the end of the fiscal year 2017 with 403.8 million tons CP / SUAB, a measure of volume of the Universal Gross Tonnage System for Ships using the interoceanic way.
From September 27th to 29th, companies from the maritime sector will be meeting in Panama to discuss issues related to technology, rules and regulations in the industry.
From a statement issued by the Maritime Chamber of Panama:
First Annual Maritime Conference of Panama entitled "The Next 100 Years" set within the framework of Panama's 100-year ship registry.At the Sheraton Hotel in Panama City.
The consortium GUPC, the builder of the third set of locks, will have to compensate the Canal Authority with $25 million for costs incurred in the arbitration process.
From a statement issued by the Panama Canal Authority:
The Arbitral Tribunal, constituted in accordance with the arbitration rules of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), issued its final decision in favor of the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) with respect to the law suit over the temporary cofferdam at the entrance to the Pacific.Grupo Unidos por el Canal, S.A. (GUPC) and its shareholders filed claims totalling over B / .192.8 million.GUPC also requested an extension of time. All of the claims were dismissed.
The Canal Authority has started a process of measuring and analyzing the current and projected demand for the inter-oceanic route in order to determine when to start the expansion.
The Panama Canal Authority has already formed a group of experts to carry out analysis and technical studies for the future expansion of the Canal, which will depend directly on the behaviour of demand over the next few years.In the first year of operation, vessels larger than those initially planned have passed through the third set of locks. At the moment, according to Jorge Luis Quijano, the third set of locks generates 32% of revenues.