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Panama port container volumes fall 1.7% in H1Panama port container volumes fall 1.7% in H1

Container volumes at Panamanian port terminals dropped 1.7% to 4.18m teu in the first six months of 2022.

Michele Labrut, Americas Correspondent

August 3, 2022

1 Min Read
Colon Container Terminal from the air
Photo: Colon Container Terminal

On the Atlantic side, volumes at Manzanillo International Terminal -Panama (MIT) were down 3.7% to 1.37m teu; Cristobal also registered a drop in volumes of 9.3% to 426,644 teu while Colon Container Terminal (CCT) operated by Taiwan’s Evergreen was the only terminal is showing growth, up 54.6% to 690.194 teu.

“The results of the first semester show a slowdown because of the restructuring of services of the shipping lines, and especially a general drop in imports and exports throughout Latin America,” said MIT general manager Manuel Pinzon.

“The consequences of the global supply chains disruptions remain, causing high average dwell times for transhipment cargo at terminals in the region and at MIT. This has been the trend during the first half of the year, and we don't expect structural changes for the remainder of 2022,” he added.

At the Panama Canal Pacific entrance, all the terminals showed a decrease in volumes. Balboa, which is administrated by Panama Ports as well as Cristobal, registered a fall in cargo volumes of 9.3% to 1.07m teu and PSA-Panama was down 1.1% to 585,788 teu. 

Bocas Fruit Co. in the province of Bocas del Toro saw its cargo dropped by 50.2% to 35,242 teu. The terminal handles shipments of bananas produced in Chiquita Panama's farms and most of them are transported in refrigerated containers.

Related:Will global congestion affect Panama’s port activity?

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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