Due to the imbalance in world trade flows, shipping lines have changed their routes and prefer to move empty containers to Asia, a situation that generates shortages and causes increases in freight rates and raw material prices.
In this scenario of new commercial reality, the operating costs of maritime freight have been impacted, since due to the restrictions imposed in several countries around the world, containers have been stranded.
Mandatory use of low-sulfur fuel by ships, shortage of containers and priority for medical supplies and vaccines will push up sea and air freight costs.
In order to ensure the supply of drinking water supply to half of the Panamanian population for the next 50 years, achieve water sustainability in its operations and guarantee its competitiveness, the Panama Canal will invest $2 billion.
In Honduras, tugging services are being tendered for the execution of docking and undocking of ships, for the maritime terminals of Cortés, Omoa, Tela and San Lorenzo.
Honduras Government purchase LPI-ENP-01-2020:
"Consists of providing docking and undocking services in Puerto Cortés and Omoa with a minimum of 2,400 operations between two tugboats in the twelve months, redocking service in the Port of Tela that includes time for the vessel to be kept and the crossing.
Currently, transporting goods by sea between Central American countries can increase freight costs by at least 60% compared to the land option, which represents an obstacle to changing the way goods are transferred in the region.
As a result of the closure of the Penas Blancas customs crossing, on the border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua, some businessmen in the region had to resort to the sea route in order to deliver their orders.
After the Quetzal Port Company of Guatemala and the Port of Chiapas, Mexico, signed an agreement for strategic commercial promotion, it is expected that in May the short sea route will begin to operate.
The potential offered by the Port of Chiapas as a logistic node for commercial exchange from and to Central America, as well as with other international markets, makes it a strategic place for the promotion of the Short Sea Shipping (SSS) project with Guatemala and eventually with other Mesoamerican countries, informed the Mexican Secretariat of Communications and Transport (SCT).
The Panama Chamber of Commerce requested the Panama Canal Authority to postpone the start of collection of the fee for the use of fresh water in the Canal, which would begin to be paid on February 15, 2020.
On January 13, the Panama Canal Authority announced that this year "... the value of water will be incorporated into the line of other maritime services through a charge for fresh water, which will depend on the availability of the resource at the time of the vessel's transit. The freshwater charge is applicable to all vessels over 125 feet in length that transit the Canal:
From September 24, the Chamber of Industry of Guatemala will begin to offer a training workshop on the updating of the Incoterms trade rules, which will apply from January 2020.
The Incoterms are the rules of sale of goods, which offer security and clarity in trade, for companies and users around the world. They were created by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).
From 2020 onwards, the fuel used by ships worldwide should not exceed 0.5% sulphur concentration, forcing transporters to consume higher priced fuels, which could become even more expensive because of increased demand.
From January 1, 2020, the concentration of sulphur in the fuel consumed by maritime transport vessels must not exceed 0.5%, a limit that until now was at 3.5%.
Since mid-July, the main companies transporting maritime cargo from the Port of Santa Tomas in Guatemala stopped operating the direct route to Europe, which will raise between 20% and 25% the costs of imports and exports.
After six decades of keeping the direct route to European ports in operation, the main shipping companies departing from Puerto Santo Tomás de Castilla in Izabal such as Maersk, Hamburg Sud, MSC, CMA-CGM, Hapas Lloyd and Sea Trade, decided not to re-operate the route concerned, leaving only one company with a multipurpose transport ship as an option to move cargo to Europe.
Building specialized docks for the auxiliary marine industry and increasing the capacity to deliver quickly by air are some of the challenges that Panama will face in the coming years.
The Panamanian economy depends heavily on the logistics sector, but currently faces new challenges because of the increasing competition from other regional players who offer better costs in managing cargo on a large scale.
To cover the demand projected by the transport sector for the 2016-2030 period, around 2.2% of GDP should be invested in infrastructure, but Central American countries allocate, on average, 1.8% of GDP.
According to the study "Achievements and Challenges of Central American Integration: ECLAC Contributions", between 2008 and 2015 Panama was the country that reported the highest average investment during the period in transport infrastructure with 3.68% of its GDP, followed by Honduras with 2.21% and Nicaragua with 1.99%.
Because Colombian ports have a lower operating cost base than Panamanians, the South American country competes to appropriate the logistics business in the region.
Until a while ago, Panama led the logistics operations in the region, however, there are some signs that indicate that this situation could be changing, since the growth in the movement of maritime cargo in the country has reported a slowdown in recent years.
From 26 to 30 August, representatives of the port industry of Central America and the Dominican Republic will meet in Antigua Guatemala to discuss innovation, trends and facilitation of international trade.
From the National Port Commission of Guatemala' s press release:
Guatemala has become the venue for one of the most important port events in Central America: the 41st Port Meeting of the Central American Isthmus, better known by its acronym REPICA.
From January 1st, 2020, the concentration of Sulphur in the fuel consumed by maritime transport vessels must not exceed 0.5%, a limit that until now was at 3.5%.
The international modifications related to the supply of fuel oil or marine fuel, which were approved by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), will apply to all vessels sailing in the world.