Singapore: Panamanian authorities are in touch with Singapore’s PSA International to significantly expand its terminal on the west coast of the Central American country. With the canal’s expansion to allow post-panamax ships to sail through now more than 50% complete, the Panama Canal Authority is aware of a possible capacity crunch on its west coast where Hutchison Port Holdings operates at Balboa, and PSA-Panama has been operating from just across the waterway since the middle of 2011.
On the Pacific side Panama has around 5m teu in port capacity, it is trying to position its terminals as transshipment hubs for the Americas.
The authority’s ceo, Jorge Quijano, told delegates attending the Sea Asia Global Forum in Singapore that his authority was looking into PSA's application to expand. The plot of adjacent land would double PSA’s throughput, while a whole new port complex next to Balboa, in Corozal, is also likely to be built with the authority soon to call for a tender. [10/04/13]
