|
BOYD |
STEAMSHIP CORPORATION
AGENTS AT THE
PANAMA CANAL FOUNDED
IN 1909 |
Web: www.boydsteamship.com Email: operations@boydsteamship.com
PANAMA
CANAL NEWS
May 16, 2007
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MONTHLY
CANAL OPERATION SUMMARY – APRIL 2007 |
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TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF LOCKS
MAINTENANCE WORK FOR FY 2007. |
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PANAMA CANAL CEO BRIEFS
MARITIME LEADERS ON EXPANSION AND GLOBAL MARITIME TRANSPORTATION TRENDS |
|
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MONTHLY
CANAL OPERATION SUMMARY – APRIL 2007
TENTATIVE
SCHEDULE OF LOCKS MAINTENANCE WORK FOR FY 2007.
PANAMA
CANAL CEO BRIEFS MARITIME LEADERS ON EXPANSION AND GLOBAL MARITIME
TRANSPORTATION TRENDS
Maritime leaders from port authorities
across the United States and Canada converged in Washington, D.C. for the
American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) annual spring conference, held
March 19-20, 2007 at the Willard InterContinental Hotel. Speaking on trade and
transportation trends were Panama Canal Authority (ACP) Administrator/CEO
Alberto Alemán Zubieta and Global Insight Principal Paul Bingham.
Aside from briefing conference
attendees on expansion, Mr. Alemán also shared a synopsis of the ACP’s history,
important milestones, key operational metrics, capacity issues and trends that
are affecting the global supply chain, such as containerization. Mr. Alemán
noted that the industry is moving toward larger (longer and wider) ships
(approximately 34 percent of the containers shipped around the world are moved
on Post-Panamax vessels), which evidences the important and critical need for a
Panama Canal expansion.
“The Canal is expected to handle
approximately 320 million Panama Canal tons through the waterway this year. We
are rapidly approaching the Canal’s maximum capacity. With expansion in the
near horizon, we remain committed to providing our customers with creative
solutions to meet their needs in the short term. And, as always, we remain
steadfast in continuing to provide a safe, efficient and reliable service,”
said ACP Administrator/CEO Alberto Alemán Zubieta.
The AAPA conference included
presentations on port management, government relations issues and intermodal
freight policies in the Western Hemisphere. Additionally, Kurt Nagle, president
and CEO of AAPA, gave opening remarks.
Apart from the AAPA conference, Mr.
Alemán also met with leaders from the National Corn Growers Association, the
Illinois Corn Growers Association and the Illinois Corn Marketing Board. The
United States is the largest corn producer in the world and corn is the largest
export out of Illinois. Moreover, approximately 80 percent of the corn that is
exported out of Illinois goes through the Panama Canal. Mr. Alemán briefed
leaders from this delegation on how the Panama Canal expansion will benefit
their industry, including: increased cargo carrying and draft capacity,
increased availability of transit slots, opportunity for more flexibility to
take advantage of demand surges and improved transit times.
“Corn is an important commodity shipped
through the Panama Canal. It represents nearly 50 percent of the waterway’s
grain trade, and around nine percent of total Canal cargo,” said Mr. Alemán.
“We are confident that expansion will provide many opportunities and benefits
for increased trade of this good.”
In a historic move, Panamanians voted
on October 22, 2006 to expand the Canal. Expansion involves building a third
lane of traffic along the waterway through the construction of a new set of
locks, which will allow more traffic and double Canal capacity. Expansion will
tighten the global supply chain and help get goods to market faster, thus
saving time and money for both producers and consumers.
The Board of Directors of the Panama
Canal Authority (ACP) announced its proposal to restructure the Panama Canal’s
pricing system and certain regulations, in an effort to move toward a charge
that accurately reflects the commercial value of the route and the service it
provides. This proposal was made available to all interested parties during a
consultation period from February 2 to March 12, 2007. As a result, the ACP
received a total of 21 written submissions from individuals and groups, which
culminated in a public hearing wherein 14 representatives from shipping and
government agencies expressed their views. Subsequent to this 30-day public
consultation period, the ACP conducted a hearing on March 14 at the request of
the industry. Following this public hearing, the ACP held informal
consultations with customers and industry representatives, such as, President
Michelle Bachelet of Chile, INTERTANKO and the Connecticut Maritime
Association, to name a few, in order to receive feedback.
The proposal originally announced in
February has been slightly modified, after reviewing comments and feedback
received from the maritime and shipping industry, with the postponement of the
implementation of the new charges from May until July 2007. As a result, the
ACP reopened the consultation period to provide the interested parties with an
additional 15 days to present in writing additional data, opinions,
information, or arguments. This documentation shall be submitted either in
English or Spanish, in person, by facsimile, or via courier or mail at the
addresses provided below, so that they are received no later than April 23,
2007 at 4:15 p.m. local time. No communications shall be accepted by electronic
mail.
Once the ACP’s Board of Directors has
reviewed the comments submitted during this additional consultation period, a
final decision will be made and recommendations will be submitted to the
Cabinet Council of the Republic of Panama for their approval. The official proposal
may be accessed at www.pancanal.com.
“This open and transparent process has
given the ACP an opportunity to further understand the needs of the industry.
They told us that they wanted the timeframe for implementation extended, and we
listened,” said ACP Administrator/CEO Alberto Aleman Zubieta. “We look forward
to continue providing our customers with a safe, reliable and efficient
service, at a price that captures the true value of the route and service.”
Any requests or
submittal of information shall be made in writing and delivered to the
following addresses:
