Panama’s Strategy for a Sustainable Maritime Hub and Green Shipping Growth

During Seatrade Maritime Logistics Middle East 2025, Robban Assafina had the opportunity to interview Mr. Max Florez Arias, General Director of the Panama General Directorate of Ports and Maritime Ancillary Industries. In this engaging conversation, Mr. Florez shared insights into Panama’s strategic focus on sustainability, innovation, and developing its maritime infrastructure. He also discussed the plans to boost the country's cruise sector, enhance customer experiences, and solidify Panama’s position as a competitive maritime hub, particularly in attracting investments from emerging markets like the Middle East.

With a unique background that combines technical expertise in operations and international business, how do you envision your role in shaping the next phase of Panama's maritime authority?
Panama is currently experiencing significant growth, with a strong focus on the future being green. We are actively seeking new technologies in both the port and registry sectors. This event has provided valuable insights into the evolving needs of the industry in this regard.

We see the IMO making significant strides with green shipping, sustainability, and alternative fuels.

How do you perceive the maritime industry and ports preparing for these new technologies and the upcoming phase of zero emissions and green shipping?
First of all, Panama has always supported this initiative, as demonstrated during our vote at the IMO, where Panama voted in favor of these advancements. Currently, we are prioritizing quality over quantity in ships. On the port side, we are also engaging with all port operators in Panama to explore what they are doing in terms of innovation to adopt greener practices.

Under your leadership, cruise development appears to be a new strategic priority for Panama. What are the key pillars of your strategy to attract more cruise calls and establish homeport operations?
It’s essentially driven by customer satisfaction. We’re currently in discussions with the FCCA, the cruise representatives from Florida, to gain insights into how we can improve customer service in Panama and enhance the experience for cruisers visiting our country.

The return of Royal Caribbean to homeport in Colón for the 2025-2026 season is a strong endorsement of Panama’s cruise infrastructure. How do you plan to capitalize on this momentum?
To continue growing, we’ve just inaugurated our terminal on the Pacific side of Panama, and currently, we’re welcoming over half a million passengers across both sides of the country. Our goal is to increase this number and expand by developing additional ports in other provinces. We want to offer passengers a more comprehensive experience of Panama, not just Panama City and Colón, but also other regions like Bocas del Toro and Chiriquí.

The Panama cruise terminal in Amador is set to begin its fourth season this October. What developments or improvements are planned to elevate its status as a regional hub?
As the Panama Maritime Authority, we are working tirelessly to engage with operators and maintain a strong focus on enhancing customer satisfaction for cruise passengers.

Is this your first visit to the Middle East? How do you view the region, particularly Dubai, as a growing maritime hub?
This is actually my first time attending Seatrade event here in Dubai and the Middle East. It's been a great experience because Panama shares a lot of similarities with Dubai. We have a smaller airline company, but like Dubai, we have large transshipment ports. It's important for us to continue focusing on how Dubai has succeeded in this sector so we can replicate some of their strategies in Panama.

Regarding the Panama Maritime Authority, what strategies are in place to enhance the global competitiveness of the Panama ship registry, particularly in attracting ship owners from emerging maritime regions like the Middle East?
As I mentioned earlier, the future is green. Panama’s focus is on offering exceptional incentives for eco-friendly vessels. Our priority is quality over quantity.

What is the main target you aim to achieve for Panama in the next phase, or over the next five years?
I would say we're looking beyond the next five years. Currently, our focus is on attracting major terminal operators to Panama, such as DP World and AD Ports. We need these big players to invest in our country, helping us develop new ports and infrastructure with advanced capabilities and technology already in place.

So, are you planning to invite these major operators solely to invest in Panama?
Yes, we are working on opening the doors to strengthen these relationships. In the past, many of these players had a presence in Panama, but unfortunately, the business didn’t develop as expected. Now, we are focused on finding ways to build and strengthen these relationships moving forward.