The president of the Panama Maritime Chamber, Willys Delvalle, noted that the Panama Canal Authority is conducting a study for the construction of a port terminal in the Corozal area.

He also said that another port project on Margarita Island will soon be developed, at an approximate cost of $600 million dollars.

Meanwhile, at the port of Cristóbal, administered by the Panama Ports Company (PPC), the structure of dock 9 is being modernized to be able to install four Panamax-sized gantry cranes that will arrive in May 2013. Additionally, these will be accompanied by 12 storage yard cranes and 40 tractor trailers.

“We will be receiving one post-Panamax crane for dock 10, where we have already installed four post-Panamax ship-to-shore cranes. This investment in cranes, dock, other container handling equipment, a container storage yard and expansion of the train terminal amounts to more than $90 million dollars,” underscored Rommel Troetsch,  marketing director of PPC.

He reported that the yard at the Balboa port is being expanded by 10 hectares to increase the container storage capacity; however, the future growth of the port depends on the  interest that the government has shown in the Corozal area.

Troetsch indicated that these modifications are being made to meet the growth of their clients, which will increase freight volumes.