Panama Canal News

The Panama Canal Authority has launched LoTSA 2.0, the next generation of its Long-Term Slot Allocation program.Building on the success of LoTSA 1.0, LoTSA 2.0 packages will transition from a 12-month horizon to a more agile 6-month offering, divided into two 6-month cycles. By shortening the commitment window, customers can better align their transit planning with market conditions, seasonal fluctuations, and fleet deployment strategies, says the Authority.The Panama Canal has…

The Panama Canal has decided to introduce the first hybrid tugboats to its fleet, beginning with 10 vessels and the option to add an additional 10 in the coming years. The first two, the Isla Barro Colorado and the Isla Bastimentos, arrived in Panama and were officially christened earlier this month. Their debut marks the beginning of a progressive fleet renewal, with the additional deliveries of tugboats arriving every two months.This move is embedded in the ACP’s sustainability…

The number of vessels that passed through the Panama Canal edged down slightly to an average of 32.5 ships per day in August compared to the 32.6 per day in the previous month, its authority said in a bulletin released on Wednesday.While traffic through the world's second-busiest inter-oceanic waterway has increased since last year, when it lifted passage restrictions related to a severe drought, it is still not fully allocating the 36 slots per day on offer.The canal is on track…

The Panama Canal presented has proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 to the Cabinet Council.The budget is focused on long-term investments, with a particular emphasis on water sustainability through the Río Indio Lake project. It also includes efforts to diversify business activities, invest in workforce development and well-being, support the traditional and Western basins, and ensure the sustainable and competitive operation of the Canal.During its presentation to the Cabinet Council, the National Government responded to concerns expressed by the Río Indio watershed communities.

On August 15, the Panama Canal marked 111 years of operations, renewing its commitment to a sustainable future through a water strategy focused on public well-being and an operational vision that enhances the country’s logistical competitiveness.Since the waterway’s inauguration in 1914, with the historic transit of the steamship Ancón, which, for the first time, connected the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, the canal has been a driver of Panama’s economic and social development while also a transformer of global maritime trade.“In 25 years under Panamanian administration…

The Panama Canal will soon begin consultations with companies about launching a competitive tender in the first quarter of next year offering two new ports for construction and operation within its zone, a source involved in the preparations said on Thursday.The ports are part of a broad expansion plan being organized by the waterway's administration. It aims to increase services related to cargo handling, including transshipment, storage and gas transportation, and to secure fresh water for operations."There is a large demand for facilities and terminals…

CK Hutchison said on Thursday its $22.8 billion ports business sale had a "reasonable chance" of going through after a plan to add a Chinese major strategic investor to the buying consortium, as it tries to navigate through Sino-U.S. tensions.CK Hutchison, based in the Chinese-controlled territory of Hong Kong, has faced heavy criticism from Beijing since unveiling a plan in March to sell 43 ports in 23 countries, including two near the Panama Canal, to a group led by BlackRock and Italian Gianluigi Aponte's family-run shipping firm MSC.President Donald Trump had called for the U.S.

The Panama Canal has incorporated two new 27-meter tugboats into its fleet.The vessels will assist ships during lock entry and exit maneuvers, as well as during their passage through the Culebra Cut, one of the most demanding sections of the waterway. They are also essential for ensuring safe and efficient transits through the Neopanamax locks where maximum maneuverability and precision are required.The newly incorporated tugboats are Z-Tech 6000 models, which are internationally recognized for their energy efficiency, high operational performance and responsiveness.

Panama's maritime authority (AMP) said on Monday it has launched a process to cancel the registrations of 17 vessels included in a list of sanctions from the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)."The AMP has tightened its control mechanisms to avoid the inclusion of unwanted actors under the Panamanian flag," it said in a statement, saying this followed the recent addition of a company, a Panamanian citizen and 17 vessels registered on Panama's ship registry on an OFAC sanctions list.(Reuters)

Communities in Panama that would have to relocate under the Panama Canal's plan to build a $1.6 billion reservoir filed a Supreme Court challenge on Thursday, saying the project intended to enable more vessel transits is unconstitutional.Some 2,500 people would be affected by construction of the Rio Indio reservoir, according to figures from the canal's authority, which has said it needs to secure more water after a drought forced it to restrict ship transit from spring 2023 to…

The Panama Canal welcomed a visit from the United States Ambassador to the Republic of Panama on May 21.Kevin Marino Cabrera visited as part of an institutional outreach tour focused on providing first-hand knowledge of the canal’s operations.The U.S. delegation, which included Defense Attaché Daniel Bethancourt and Economic Attaché April Cohen, was initially received at the Miraflores Locks by Vice President of Operations for the Panama Canal Boris Moreno.The tour continued at the Cocolí Locks where Ambassador Cabrera was welcomed by Canal Administrator Ricaurte Vásquez Morales.

The number of vessels that passed through the Panama Canal rose to an average of 34 per day for a total of 1,021 transits last month, from an average of 33.7 per day in March, according to a bulletin published by the waterway's authority.In the first four months of 2025, transits remained below the maximum of 36 ships allowed to pass per day, according to the data, despite a decline in the fees the canal charges for passage slots.A severe drought between late 2023 and early 2024 forced the waterway…

The Panama Canal Administrator, Dr. Ricaurte Vásquez Morales, delivered the 43rd Annual William A. Patterson Distinguished Transportation Lecture at Northwestern University this week, in which he laid out the crucial role the Panama Canal has played in the development of global trade and the impact it has had on the greater evolution of humanity in Panama, and throughout the world.The Northwestern University Patterson Transportation Lecture is an award that recognizes Vásquez…

China's top market regulator said on Sunday it was paying close attention to CK Hutchison's planned sale of most of its port operations to a BlackRock-led consortium and parties to the deal should not try to avoid an antitrust review.The sale by the Hong Kong conglomerate, which contains two ports along the strategically important Panama Canal, has become highly politicised amid intensifying U.S.-Sino trade tensions."No concentration of undertakings shall be implemented without approval…

The number of vessels that transited the Panama Canal, the world's second-busiest waterway, fell to an average of 33.7 per day in March for a total of 1,045 ships that month, according to a bulletin on Thursday by its administrative authority.In February, an average of 34.8 vessels per day crossed the waterway, an increase from 32.6 per day in January, but still below the maximum number of ships authorized.Transits this year have remained below the maximum of 36 vessels allowed to pass per day since the waterway lifted drought-related restrictions in the third quarter last year…

The United States will "take back" the Panama Canal from Chinese influence, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday during a visit to the Central American nation.After talks with Panama's government, Hegseth vowed to deepen security cooperation with Panamanian security forces and said China would not be allowed to "weaponize" the canal by using Chinese firms' commercial relationships for espionage."Together, we will take back the Panama Canal from China's influence," Hegseth said, speaking at a pier renovated with U.S. assistance in Panama City."China did not build this canal.

Stillstrom by Maersk and the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore the implementation of Stillstrom’s offshore charging technology to reduce emissions from vessels idling in and around the Panama Canal.Handling approximately 14,000 vessels annually, the Panama Canal is a critical artery of global commerce. The Canal’s strategic position makes it a focal point for maritime sustainability, and in recent years, ACP has taken significant steps toward decarbonization.

The Panama Canal Board of Directors has authorized the opening of a bidding process for the development of a new pipeline for the transfer of energy products which will complement operations in the interoceanic waterway.The pipeline will be incorporated into the development of the Panama Canal's West Bank route, which includes activities and alternatives to transporting products by sea.It will strengthen Panama’s strategic position and help keep the Canal competitive by increasing its capacity and providing quality service to the world…

Hong Kong's CK Hutchison will not sign a deal next week to sell its two port operations near the Panama Canal to a BlackRock-led group, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said, amid growing pressure from Beijing.China's market regulator said it will carry out an antitrust review on the Panama port deal in accordance with law to protect fair competition and safeguard public interests, its official WeChat account showed late on Friday.The telecoms-to-retail conglomerate owned by tycoon Li Ka-shing this month agreed to sell most of the global $22.8 billion ports business…

Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino said on Thursday that he didn't place any value on reports the U.S. military is looking into options for ensuring full U.S. access to the Panama Canal, since these reports came from unnamed sources."If no one puts their name to such an assertion, I don't ascribe any value to it," he told a press conference.Two U.S. officials, speaking anonymously, told Reuters last week that the Pentagon had been instructed to evaluate options, amid President…

Fees for vessels to pass through the Panama Canal this year are 15% below last year's levels as the waterway now has more capacity to move cargoes, the head of the Panama Canal Authority, Ricaurte Vasquez, said on Wednesday in a video conference.A severe drought between late 2023 and early 2024 forced the world's second busiest waterway to impose passage restrictions that prompted long waiting lines and higher transit fees.

U.S. President Donald Trump has hailed a deal led by U.S. firm BlackRock to buy most of the $22.8 billion ports business of Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison which includes assets along the Panama Canal.The deal will give the U.S. consortium control of key Panama Canal ports amid White House calls to remove them from what it says is Chinese ownership. The high purchase price sent CK Hutchison's stock up more than 20%."My administration will be reclaiming the Panama Canal, and we've already started doing it," Trump told the U.S.

U.S. President Donald Trump has postponed a phone call with Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino due to last-minute changes in the U.S. leader's agenda, Panama's government said on Friday, amid tensions over U.S. threats to take over the Panama Canal.Panama's foreign office will share details on the new date once it has been coordinated, the government said.Mulino has accused the U.S. of spreading "lies and falsehoods" after its government claimed its vessels would be able to pass through the Panama Canal without paying.He has also rejected claims that China controls the canal…