After Panama's National Assembly approved a legislative bill that sets the minimum wage for workers in the maritime industry at $4.15 per hour, local businessmen have expressed their disagreement.
The document approved in third debate, establishes in its articles that workers of concessionary companies, contractors and subcontractors of ports and maritime transport terminals will earn a minimum wage of $4.15 per hour throughout the national territory, informed the National Assembly on April 12, 2021.
Arguing that local investments could be at risk, the Maritime Chamber requested the exclusion of the maritime sector from the trade agreement that Panama negotiates with the Asiatic giant.
In a note addressed to the Chief Negotiator of Panama, the trade guild of the sector requested not to include the maritime sector, and especially the auxiliary maritime industry, in the negotiations of the FTA between Panama and China.
The maritime union is opposed to the decision of the Maritime Port Authority to suspend the licensing for service provisioning and transport of fuel.
The only companies exempt from the measure are those with an existing direct contract with any oil company, according to the letter sent by Gerardo Varela, General Director of Ports and Auxiliary Maritime Industries at the AMP, to the Maritime Chamber of Panama, shipping companies and users of the entity.
A resolution of the Maritime Authority of Panama forces maritime concessionaires to devote to social projects a percentage of the investment amount stated in the contract.
The Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) has adopted a resolution whereby companies who sign contracts for maritime concessions are obliged to pay a "...
From November 24th to 27th representatives from the industry in Central America and other regions will be gathering together in Panama City to discuss issues related to maritime safety and port development.
From a statement issued by the Network for Protection of Ships and Port Facilities:
The PBIP Network Mexico-International and the Panama Maritime Chamber, together with the Maritime Authority, Panama Canal Authority and the International Maritime University of Panama; have presented the 'VIII International Forum on Maritime Safety and Port Security', which will be held in Panama City from 24 to 27 November 2014.
The maritime industry will have two docks for auxiliary services in the Pacific and one in the Atlantic to use as a base for providing services to ships.
According to Willys Delvalle, president of the Panama Maritime Chamber, the committee on maritime industries at the Chamber is already working on approaches with companies for projects and he confirmed that they are going to provide all services required by the industry.
At the Office of International Trade Negotiations at the Ministry of Commerce the negative impact that it would have on the country's maritime activity has been noted.
The law has been harshly criticized by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (Mici), who also considered that the agreements violate promotion and protection of investments and trade agreements signed by Panama.
Plans are afoot to build a port on the Pacific as a base for the auxiliary maritime industry of Panama.
Capital.com.pa reports that "The Panamanian Chamber of Shipping Companies (CMP in Spanish) is structuring a project for the construction of a port on the Pacific coast area, specifically in Veracruz, in order to have an alternative for operations of the ancillary maritime industries, because at the moment there are no public or private options for carrying out these activities. "
Panama could double revenues from provisioning ships if companies providing these services had adequate port facilities.
Both the Pacific and the Atlantic coasts need docks dedicated to the auxiliary maritime industry.
An article in Prensa.com reports that "The new president of the Maritime Chamber of Panama (CMP), Willis Delvalle said that one of the main goals of the guild is to promote the construction of these maritime exit routes. A dock for the auxiliary maritime industry would allow companies to have a place to put their boats, make crew changes and perform a series of related activities. "
The elimination of the surcharge rate of 50% for U.S. ships to be repaired in Panamanian yards, is a major incentive for this sector.
According to the Panama Maritime Chamber the benefits that will be brought by the Trade Promotion Agreement (TPA) with the United States from October 1st , are key to attracting new investment.
Industry experts agree that the TPA will give confidence to investors and producers of services, as it will help to consolidate the country as the most important center of financial, logistics and maritime services in Latin America.
Shipping companies are against a bill that will add a 1% tax to freight headed to or starting in Panama.
Gullermo Márquez, from the Maritime Chamber, stated that applying the Income Tax (ISR) on these freights, “could have a dramatic effect”, making imports and exports more expensive. He demanded the government to maintain the current levy.
An article in Prensa.com noted that the proposal does not tax goods passing through the country, which makes 95% of all the cargo arriving at Panamanian ports.
Compared to the 2007 record of 8 billion tons in transports, global maritime commerce fell substantially in 2008, dragged down by the crisis.
A good indication of this is the decrease in the Baltic Dry Index, which is composed of the prices of the maritime transportation of dry cargo. In November 2008, the index was 891 points while the index had reached 11,973 in May of that year - suffering in that period a fall of 11 times its value.
Operators from more than 20 countries will participate in the four day port event, considered to be the most important one in the region.
The inauguration will be held on February 8, 2009 and will include the presence of the Secretary General of the World Maritime Organization (OMI), Efthimios Mitropoulos, who will be the main speaker along with important local and international guest speakers from the shipping world.
español
2428
