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.
In the first seven months of the year, movement in Panama totaled 47.9 million metric tons, 3% less than was reported in the same period in 2017.
According to figures from the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic in July alone a 19% year-on-year drop in cargo movement was reported, falling from 7.8 million metric tons in the seventh month of 2017 to 6.3 million tons metrics in the same period in 2018.
Before September 2017 Panamanian vessels weighing over 400 tons must install ballast water treatment equipment, ranging in cost from $900,000 to $2 million.
Vessels in the Panamanian merchant fleet have until September 8, 2017 to purchase and install equipment for ballast water treatment and comply with the international convention for the control and management of ballast water and sediments.
On March 11 the second edition of the event will be held which will present opportunities for business development that will arise from the opening of the third set of locks of the Panama Canal.
The Panama Maritime Chamber is organizing the event called Logistic Summit 2016: Logistics in the Americas after the Canal Expansion on March 11.
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.
The Maritime Port Authority is planning to build two docks for the auxiliary maritime services industry, one in the province of Colon and another in that of Panama.
Taking an old aspiration of the auxiliary maritime services sector, plans are underway for construction of docks on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. This project had been previously discussed, but the areas chosed for its construction were not available at that time.
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 "... fee which the concessionaire must provide by way of supporting social projects of the AMP in the concession contracts .... "
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 growth projected in the maritime industry is encouraging the creation of an entity focused on reconciliation and conflict resolution between shipping companies and businesses.
Promoting commercial arbitration as a method of conflict resolution and seeking to consolidate Panama as a competitive regional logistics center, the Maritime Chamber of Panama in the country is looking to establish an International School of Maritime Arbitration.
The strike by workers in the Panamanian port terminal has gone on for a week, forcing some ships to divert to other ports in the region.
So far it is unknown how high the losses are in the port operated by Manzanillo International Terminal (MIT). The terminal operator has said that it has managed to increase cargo movement operations but still not managed to have normal operations.
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.
A draft law states that 75% of the shareholders of companies engaged in maritime services should be of Panamanian nationality.
Modification of Decree Law 8 of February 26, 1998 has not yet been agreed with the various sectors, but it is assumed it will be discussed in the next few days in Congress. "The proposal aims to establish that 75% of the shares of public companies who register a boat to provide ancillary services to the maritime industry are in the hands of Panamanians", reported Prensa.com.
The eleventh edition of the Panama Maritime World Conference & Exhibition, will be held from 27 February to 1 March 2013.
The Maritime Law Association of Panama and the Panama Maritime Chamber have announced the celebration of the XI Panama Maritime Conference & Exhibition from February 27 to March 1 of the current year in the Megapolis Convention Center in Panama City.
"Because of the importance of the maritime sector for the country, there should be legislation to go to arbitration before reaching a strike" - Willis Delvalle, President of the Maritime Chamber of Panama.
Facing millions in losses affecting all clients and participants in the logistic Hub in Panama, as a result of the last strike by workers at the terminals of Balboa and Cristobal, representatives of shipping companies and port operators need to consider the adoption of legislation so that when there are labor disputes port operations are not crippled.