The President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino, toured the port of Balboa this Thursday, confirming that it operates with total normality and efficiency, thanks to its 100% Panamanian staff.
Currently, the port operates under an 18-month temporary concession granted to the shipping company Maersk, while a permanent concession is being tendered. This measure was taken after a Supreme Court ruling declared the previous concession unconstitutional.
The president arrived this morning at the port offices and met with members of its board of directors; afterwards, he toured the container yard and the loading and unloading area. The president also had a brief meeting with a group of workers, whom he congratulated for their dedication.
“This demonstrates that when you work hard and plan, things turn out well. Today the ports are functioning, thanks to the efforts of Panamanian workers,” the president told the media.
“This has shown the whole world that Panamanians can do things on a big scale and well. 100% of the staff working here are Panamanian,” he added.
In this regard, he reiterated that two new concessions are being prepared for the ports of Balboa (Pacific) and Cristóbal (Atlantic), whose terms will be for the benefit and defense of national interests, so that they leave better dividends that allow the country to build schools, hospitals and roads, and contribute to the maintenance of social programs.
A tender document is also being prepared for the new concession of the port of Margarita.
On the other hand, the president addressed the recent arbitration claim filed by the former concessionaire of the Port of Balboa against the shipping company Maersk. “The Panamanian government has complied with a ruling by the Supreme Court of Justice. We are not aligned with anyone,” he emphasized.
Assessments continue at the Bridge of the Americas.
Regarding the recent explosion of three fuel tankers under the Bridge of the Americas, the president lamented the death of one person in the incident. He also noted that this accident underscores the importance of protecting the country's connectivity.
The investigation is in the hands of the Attorney General's Office, and the administrative issues associated with the accident are being investigated by the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP), the president explained.
Currently, passage through the Bridge of the Americas is limited to private vehicles and small buses, while evaluations are carried out by technicians from the Ministry of Public Works (MOP), the Fire Department, Sinaproc, the Transit and Land Transportation Authority, the Technological University of Panama and the Panama Canal Authority.
Edwin Lewis, director of Study and Design at the MOP, elaborated on the additional evaluations being carried out on the Bridge of the Americas, highlighting that today they will receive four professionals from the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the organization that designed this bridge in the 1950s.
This team will take samples of the metal exposed to the heat and send them to laboratories in the United States. They will also place strain gauges in critical areas of the structure.
On the other hand, President Mulino warned that along the Panama Canal and in coastal areas, there are more than 100 hectares of old fuel storage facilities that are abandoned or in deplorable condition. He stated that all of them will be evaluated by the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) to find a suitable use for them for the benefit of the country.
Panama will defend its fleet of ships
President Mulino confirmed that he has conveyed his concern to the diplomatic authorities of China regarding the cases of Panamanian-flagged vessels being detained in Chinese ports.
“I hope and am confident that the escalation of these types of actions will decrease and turn positive. We are not interested in having a problem with China, but neither are we going to allow these things to continue indefinitely, because—more than Panama's reputation—what is at stake is the global cargo that, obviously, leaves China in large quantities for the rest of the world; and which, to some extent, also harms Chinese cargo,” Mulino stated.
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