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Svitzer Americas opens new regional HQ in PanamaSvitzer Americas opens new regional HQ in Panama

Svitzer has announced that Switzer Americas is opening a regional headquarters in Panama City as part of the company's ambitions to further strengthen its position in the region.

Michele Labrut, Americas Correspondent

April 15, 2021

1 Min Read
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Photo: Svitzer

Svitzer Americas was headquartered in Miami, US, for many years, but in early 2020 it was decided to relocate to Panama and move into Panama Design Centre, which also houses other parts of the Maersk Group including Sealand Americas, APM Terminals, Hamburg-Sud, Twill, and Maersk Liner Operations Clusters.

“Panama is an important, strategic maritime hub with good infrastructure and easy connections to nearby countries and ports. For Svitzer, moving the regional headquarters to Panama will further strengthen our presence in the Americas region and bring us even closer to our customers and operations in the region,” said Arjen van Dijk, Managing Director of Switzer Americas.

"We see significant growth potential in the region within both harbour and terminal towage and moving the regional headquarters to Panama supports our growth ambitions. Furthermore, we will have access to recruiting some of the best people, as Panama in general has a large and very skilled and experienced workforce because of its position as a central hub for the maritime industry in the region,” he added.

Svitzer Americas is heavily engaged in the region with harbour towage and terminal towage as the main segments. Svitzer Americas operates more than 80 vessels in ports and terminals in 12 different countries across the region and customers can thus benefit from a global ownership, presence and experience combined with in-depth regional and local knowledge.

Related:Svitzer aims to launch world’s first fully remotely controlled tug

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About the Author

Michele Labrut

Americas Correspondent

Michèle Labrut is a long-time Panama resident, a journalist and correspondent, and has continuously covered the maritime sector of Central & Latin America.

Michèle first came to Panama as a press attaché to the French Embassy and then returned to the isthmus as a foreign correspondent in the 1980s.

Author of Seatrade Maritime's annual Panama Maritime Review magazine and of several books, Michèle also wrote for Time magazine, The Miami Herald, NBC News and the Economist Intelligence Unit. She has also collaborated in making several documentaries for the BBC and European and U.S. television networks.

Michèle's profession necessitates a profound knowledge of the country, but her acumen is not from necessity alone, but a genuine passion for Panama.

In 2012 she was awarded the Order of Merit (Knight grade) by the French Government for her services to international journalism and in 2021 the upgrade to Chevalier grade.

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