From July 25 to 28 representatives from the port industry in the region will be meeting in Belize at the XXXIX Port Meeting of the Central American Isthmus.
At the event, to be held at the Best Westerm Biltmore Plaza Hotel in Belize, the main discussion panels will address current issues such as the Cruise Industry, Mobility and Logistics Policy in Central America, Strengthening Environmental Port Management in Central America, Multilateral Agreement And Safety, Port Security and Protection, Gross Verified Mass (GVM), Climate Change and the Role of Women in the Port Industry, among others.
Starting from May, Hapag-Lloyd Guatemala will connect in a northbound direction with the ports of the US West Coast and once a week in a southbound direction with the European and Mediterranean ports.
From a statement issued by Agexport:
In order to improve the competitiveness of exports of Guatemalan products, reduce costs and delivery times, increase the capacity of the country, the Commission on Integrated Services for Export (SIEX) at AGEXPORT, through its partner company, Hapag-Lloyd Guatemala, wishes to report a new service that will connect Guatemala with the United States, Europe and the Mediterranean.
New businesses in the segment of small shipping companies, and competitiveness in the maritime and logistics regional market is what the country is missing out on because of the delay in the construction of a new terminal.
One of the main points in favor of the construction of a port in Corozal is the business that could be generated in the segment of smaller shipping companies, which, according to entrepreneurs in this sector, have difficulty accessing the services they need because larger shipping companies are generallygiven priority attention at major ports.
From March 12 to 15 shipping companies, logistics companies and others from this industry will be meeting in Panama to discuss issues such as the use of new energy sources and technology on ships.
The Panama Maritime Chamber has announced the holding of the XIII Panama MaritimeConference& Exhibition from March 12 to 15 at the Megapolis Convention Center in Panama City.
Between January and October 2016, the movement of 5.1 million containers, measured in TEUs, was recorded, 11.8% less than in the same period in 2015.
In units, 3.1 million containers were moved through Panamanian ports in the first ten months of 2016, 11% less than in the same period in 2015.
According to a report by the Port Maritime Authority, container shipments were reduced in all ports in the National Port System, consisting of Manzanillo International Terminal, Panama Port Balboa, Panama Port Cristobal, Panama International Terminal, Colon Container Terminal and Bocas Fruit.
Between January and August 2016, 2.5 million metric tons of marine fuel were sold, 7% more than in the same period in 2015.
The biggest sales growth was recorded in January, with a rise of 17%.Although the increase between 2015 and 2016 is lower than that recorded between 2014 and 2015,"...
In addition to the bureaucracy delaying the project, there is now also an assessment by the shipping company that will provide the service, in order to find a way to "make it profitable."
The project which was announced with great fanfare by the Solis administration one year ago, has not only failed to advance because of the need to modify the regulations on multimodal transport services, but also because now the Odiel shipping company is looking for customers and evaluating the expected profitability of the business, according to government representatives.
Eleven legal processes are hindering progress of the project that could increase the capacity of container movement in the Panamanian port system.
Panama could already have a container terminal operating on the Pacific side, but opposition from the Panama Ports Company (PPC) and others such as residents of surrounding areas has impeded progress of the project which the Panama Canal Authority has been promoting since 2014.
The operator of the terminal in Guatemala has announced plans to invest $50 million, increasing the terminal's capacity from 455,000 to 630,000 TEUs in 2019.
Chiquita, the concessionaire of Puerto Barrios, plans to increase by 1 million TEUs the total capacity of the terminal in a second and third expansion phase in the period 2025-2035.
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 October 25 and 26 companies in the maritime industry will be gathering together in Panama City to discuss the impact of the enlargement of the Canal on the bunkering activity.
From a statement issued by the Maritime Chamber of Panama:
On 25 and 26 October 2016, the third edition of Panama Bunkering Forum will be held with the theme: EXPANSION AND NEOPANAMAX, New Challenges for Industry, in the Panama Wyndham Hotel, an event organized by the Maritime Chamber of Panama.The conference will last for two full days, and will include discussions of topics of interest and of direct impact to this auxiliary maritime industry which represents a significant contribution to the maritime conglomerate of Panama.This event will feature the presence and support of the Maritime Authority of Panama, the Panama Canal Authority and the Logistics Cabinet.
The Maritime Chamber of Panama has asked for a suspension of a new rate of $10 for every passenger and crew member who embarks and disembarks at any port or air facility in the district of Colon.
The Mayor of Colon has put in place a"... rate for the use, cleaning, and security services in airport and seaport terminals, in the district of Colon, amounting to the sum of ten dollars (b / .10.00) for all travelers, transit passengers, and crew who embark and disembark at any port or air facility in the district of Colon, and also dicated other provisions."Seeagreementin La Gaceta.
There has been an increases in traffic of neopanamax ships, which now produce revenues of $68 million, as well as extra maritime services that used to go through the Suez Canal.
An article on Prensa.com reports that "...During the first two months of operation of the expanded Canal 130 neopanamax ships were reported to have passed through, most of them container ships, bringing in total revenues of $68 million.Since the expanded Canal opened on June 26, business has been growing, with 2 new services coming from the Suez Canal, said the Canal Administrator Jorge Luis Quijano."
With the entry into operation of the new locks, the Panama Canal is beginning to regain market lost in recent years to the Suez Canal.
60% of vessels transporting cargo between Asia and the United States now passes through the new locks, up from 40% earlier this year. Until the opening of the expanded canal, this market share of maritime cargo went through the Suez Canal.
Four operators moved about half of the maritime cargo that passed through Guatemalan ports in 2015.
In 2015 maritime cargo moved through port terminals in Guatemala amounted to 26.1 million metric tons (MT).Everseas de Guatemala S.A. transported around 17%, followed by Compañía Guatemalteca de Terminales a Granel S.A. with 16%, and thirdly, Centrans International, with 14%.