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Panama Canal turns attention to lifting port and logistics capacity
来源： 编辑：编辑部 发布：2018/11/19 09:51:03
THE Panama Canal Authority is once more shifting its focus to expanding port capacity and building new zones to foster greater logistics activity.
In the keynote address at TOC Americas Container Supply Chain event, authority administrator Jorge Quijano told delegates that, while vessel transits were its primary business barometer, ports activity had become increasingly important to the country as a whole.
"We are looking at ways to open up the containers and add value to the goods coming through the canal," Mr Quijano said.
There is some 1,200 hectares of brownfield land adjacent to PSA Panama's Rodman terminal, which was "completely useless land that couldn't be used because it was full of ordinance left by the US army when they were in control of the canal, as they used it as a firing range," Mr Quijano was quoted as saying in a report by UK's The Loadstar.
The area was cleared of the ordnance during the canal expansion project and he said the canal has drawn up plans to develop a ro-ro terminal for pure car carriers.
Value-added services such as pre-delivery inspections of finished vehicles could be offered, as well as a LNG bunkering facility for vessels post-2020.
Next to that would be the site of "Panama's logistics dream," covering as much as 689 hectares. Mr Quijano said construction of the first phase will start in 2019, covering 55 hectares, with a second phase dedicated to temperature-controlled logistics, covering 30 hectares.
He added that Panama may once again look to concession for the Corazal terminal project, which previously failed to attract a single tender despite initial interest from PSA, APM Terminals and CMA CGM.
"There were some companies that didn't express interest initially that we are now talking to and instead of a three-ship berth, we have brought it down to two," said Mr Quijano.
"We are not clear about when we might relaunch the tender process but we are certain it will be needed at some point - the current port capacity of Panama is about six million TEU and we feel that more will be required at some point."
PSA Panama's Rodman terminal itself completed a major expansion project this year that raised capacity to two million TEU per year and transformed it from a single- to a two-berth operation, where MSC established a transshipment operation connecting its Ecuador feeder service with a transatlantic service.
According to Mr Quijano, there was a 22 per cent increase in tonnage transiting the canal in the fiscal year, making it a "very good year," he said.
"There was a 12 per cent increase in container tonnage and 24 per cent increase in liquid bulk. Car carriers also got back to the level where they were in 2007, mainly due to Mexican exports of finished vehicles to the US."
In the keynote address at TOC Americas Container Supply Chain event, authority administrator Jorge Quijano told delegates that, while vessel transits were its primary business barometer, ports activity had become increasingly important to the country as a whole.
"We are looking at ways to open up the containers and add value to the goods coming through the canal," Mr Quijano said.
There is some 1,200 hectares of brownfield land adjacent to PSA Panama's Rodman terminal, which was "completely useless land that couldn't be used because it was full of ordinance left by the US army when they were in control of the canal, as they used it as a firing range," Mr Quijano was quoted as saying in a report by UK's The Loadstar.
The area was cleared of the ordnance during the canal expansion project and he said the canal has drawn up plans to develop a ro-ro terminal for pure car carriers.
Value-added services such as pre-delivery inspections of finished vehicles could be offered, as well as a LNG bunkering facility for vessels post-2020.
Next to that would be the site of "Panama's logistics dream," covering as much as 689 hectares. Mr Quijano said construction of the first phase will start in 2019, covering 55 hectares, with a second phase dedicated to temperature-controlled logistics, covering 30 hectares.
He added that Panama may once again look to concession for the Corazal terminal project, which previously failed to attract a single tender despite initial interest from PSA, APM Terminals and CMA CGM.
"There were some companies that didn't express interest initially that we are now talking to and instead of a three-ship berth, we have brought it down to two," said Mr Quijano.
"We are not clear about when we might relaunch the tender process but we are certain it will be needed at some point - the current port capacity of Panama is about six million TEU and we feel that more will be required at some point."
PSA Panama's Rodman terminal itself completed a major expansion project this year that raised capacity to two million TEU per year and transformed it from a single- to a two-berth operation, where MSC established a transshipment operation connecting its Ecuador feeder service with a transatlantic service.
According to Mr Quijano, there was a 22 per cent increase in tonnage transiting the canal in the fiscal year, making it a "very good year," he said.
"There was a 12 per cent increase in container tonnage and 24 per cent increase in liquid bulk. Car carriers also got back to the level where they were in 2007, mainly due to Mexican exports of finished vehicles to the US."