Port project

MILESTONES: 1899–1913
Building the Panama Canal, 1903–1914
President Theodore Roosevelt oversaw the realization of a long-term United States
goal a transisthmian canal. Throughout the 1800s, American and British leaders
and businessmen wanted to ship goods quickly and cheaply between the Atlantic
and Pacific coasts.
To that end, in 1850 the United States and Great Britain negotiated the Clayton-
Bulwer Treaty to reign in rivalry over a proposed canal through the Central
American Republic of Nicaragua. The Anglo-American canal, however, never went
beyond the planning stages. French attempts to build a canal through Panama
(province of Colombia) advanced further. Led by Ferdinand de Lesseps—the
builder of the Suez Canal in Egypt—the French began excavating in 1880. Malaria,
yellow fever, and other tropical diseases conspired against the de Lesseps campaign
and after 9 years and a loss of approximately 20,000 lives, the French attempt went
bankrupt. In spite of such setbacks, American interest in a canal continued
unabated. The Hay-Pauncefote Treaty of 1901 abrogated the earlier Clayton-
Bulwer Treaty and licensed the United States to build and manage its own canal.
Following heated debate over the location of the proposed canal, on June 19, 1902,
the U.S. Senate voted in favor of building the canal through Panama. Within 6
months, Secretary of State JOHN HAY signed a treaty with Colombian Foreign
Minister Tomás Herrán to build the new canal. The financial terms were
unacceptable to Colombia’s congress, and it rejected the offer.

President Roosevelt responded by dispatching U.S. warships to Panama City (on the
Pacific) and Colón (on the Atlantic) in support of Panamanian independence.
Colombian troops were unable to negotiate the jungles of the Darien Strait and
Panama declared independence on November 3, 1903. The newly declared Republic
of Panama immediately named Philippe Bunau-Varilla (a French engineer who had
been involved in the earlier de Lesseps canal attempt) as Envoy Extraordinary and
Minister Plenipotentiary. In his new role, Bunau-Varilla negotiated the Hay-Bunau-
Varilla Treaty of 1903, which provided the United States with a 10-mile wide strip
of land for the canal, a one-time $10 million payment to Panama, and an annual
annuity of $250,000. The United States also agreed to guarantee the independence of
Panama. Completed in 1914, the Panama Canal symbolized U.S. technological
prowess and economic power. Although U.S. control of the canal eventually became
an irritant to U.S.-Panamanian relations, at the time it was heralded as a major
foreign policy achievement.
Operation of the Panama Canal
The canal makes the trip from the east coast to the west coast of the U.S. much
shorter than the route taken around the tip of South America prior to 1914. Though
traffic continues to increase through the canal, many oil supertankers and military
battleships and aircraft carriers cannot fit through the canal. There's evena class of
ships known as "Panamax," those built to the maximum capacity of the Panama
Canal and its locks.
It takes approximately fifteen hours to traverse the canal through its three sets of
locks (about half the time is spent waiting due to traffic). Ships passing through the
canal from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean actually move from the
northwest to the southeast, due to the east-west orientation of the Isthmus of
Panama.
Panama Canal location
The Panama Canal is a 48-mile (77 km) ship canal in Panama that connects
the Atlantic Ocean (via the Caribbean Sea) to the Pacific Ocean. The canal cuts
across the Isthmus of Panama and is a key conduit for international maritime trade.
There are locks at each end to lift ships up to Gatun Lake, an artificial lake created
to reduce the amount of excavation work required for the canal, 26 metres
(85 ft) above sea level. The current locks are 33.5 metres (110 ft) wide. A third,
wider lane of locks is currently under construction and is due to open in 2016.

Ownership
During construction, ownership of the territory that is now the Panama Canal was
first Colombian, then French, and then American. The US continued to control the
canal and surrounding Panama Canal Zone until the 1977 Torrijos–Carter Treaties
provided for handover to Panama.
The men behind the Suez Canaland Eiffel Towerwere convictedin
connectionwith failed effort to build a canal.
In the ensuing centuries, various nations considered developing a Panamanian canal
but a serious attempt wasn’t made until the 1880s. In 1881, a French company
headed by Ferdinand de Lesseps, a former diplomat who developed Egypt’s Suez
Canal, began digging a canal across Panama. The project was plagued by poor
planning, engineering problems and tropical diseases that killed thousands of
workers. De Lesseps intended to build the canal at sea level, without locks, like the
Suez Canal, but the excavation process proved far more difficult than anticipated.
Gustave Eiffel, who designed the famous tower in Paris that bears his name, was
then hired to create locks for the canal; however, the De Lesseps-ledcompany went
bankrupt in 1889. At the time, the French had sunk more than $260 million into the
canal venture and excavatedmore than 70 million cubic yards of earth.
The canal venture’s collapse caused a major scandal in France. De Lesseps and his
son Charles, along with Eiffel and several other company executives, were indicted
on fraud and mismanagement charges. In 1893, the men were found guilty,
sentenced to prison and fined, although the sentences were overturned. After the
scandal, Eiffel retired from business and devoted himself to scientific research;
Ferdinand de Lesseps died in 1994. That same year, a new French company was
formed to take over the assets of the bankrupt business and continue the canal;
however, this second firm soon abandoned the endeavor as well.
Panama Canal design
There are twelve locks in total. A two-step flight at Miraflores, and a single flight at
Pedro Miguel, lift ships from the Pacific up to Gatun Lake; then a triple flight at
Gatun lowers them to the Atlantic side. All three sets of locks are paired; that is,
there are two parallel flights of locks at each of the three lock sites. This, in
principle, allows ships to pass in opposite directions simultaneously; however, large

ships cannot cross safely at speedin the Culebra Cut, so in practice ships pass in one
direction for a time, then in the other, using both "lanes" of the locks in one
direction at a time.
The lock chambers are 110 ft (33.53 m) wide by 1,050 ft (320 m) long, with a usable
length of 1,000 ft. (305 m). These dimensions determine the maximum size of ships
that can use the canal; this size is known as Panamax. The total lift (the amount by
which a ship is raised or lowered) in the three steps of the Gatun locks is 85 ft
(25.9 m); the lift of the two-step Miraflores locks is 54 ft. (16 m). The single-step
Pedro Miguel locks have a lift of 31 ft (9.4 m). The lift at Miraflores actually varies
due to the extreme tides on the Pacific side, between 43 ft (13 m) at extreme high
tide and 64.5 ft. (20 m) at extreme low tide; tidal differences on the Atlantic side are
very small.
The lock chambers are massive concrete structures. The side walls are from 45 to
55 ft. (14 to 17 m) thick at the bases; toward the top, where less strength is required,
they taper down in steps to 8 ft (2.4 m). The center wall between the chambers is
60 ft (18 m) thick and houses three galleries that run its full length. The lowest of
these is a drainage tunnel; above this is a gallery for electrical cabling; and toward
the top is a passageway that allows operators to gain access to the lock machinery.

The gates.
The gates separating the chambers in each flight of locks must hold back a
considerable weight of water, and must be both reliable and strong enough to
withstand accidents, as the failure of a gate could unleash a catastrophic flood of
water downstream.
These gates are of enormous size, ranging from 47 to 82 ft (14.33 to 24.99 m) high,
depending on position, and are 7 ft (2.13 m) thick. The tallest gates are
at Miraflores, due to the large tidal range there. The heaviest leaves weigh 662 t (730
short tons; 652 long tons); the hinges themselves each weigh 16.7 t (36,817 lb). Each
gate has two leaves, 65 ft (19.81 m) wide, which close to a "V" shape with the point
upstream. This arrangement has the effect that the force of water from the higher
side pushes the ends of the gates together firmly. The gates can be opened only
when, in the operating cycle, the water level on both sides is equal.
The original gate machinery consisted of a huge drive wheel, powered by an electric
motor, to which was attached a connecting rod, which in turn attached to the middle
of the gate. These mechanisms were replaced with hydraulic struts beginning in
January 1998, after 84 years of service. The gates are hollow and buoyant, much
like the hull of a ship, and are so well balanced that two 19 kW (25 hp) motors are
enough to move each gate leaf. If one motor fails, the other can still operate the gate
at reduced speed.
Each chamber also contains a pair of auxiliary gates, which can be used to divide
the chamber in two. This design allows for the transit of smaller vessels, suchas
canal tugs, without using the full quantity of water. The auxiliary gates were
originally incorporated because the overwhelming majority of all ships of the early
1900s were less than 600 ft (183 m) long and therefore did not need the full length of
the lock chamber. Nowadays these gates are rarely used; instead, small boats such
as tour boats, tugs, and yachts are passed in groups.
The expansion project
The Panama Canal expansion project, also called the Third Set of Locks Project, is
intended to double the capacity of the Panama Canal by 2016 by creating a new lane
of traffic and allowing more and larger ships, the New Panamax size, which are
about one and a half times the current maximum width and length (known
as Panamax) and can carry over twice as much cargo.

The project is planned to:
 Build two new sets of locks, one each on the Atlantic and Pacific sides, and
excavate new channels to the new locks. Each set of locks will have three
chambers with water-saving basins.
 Widen and deepen existing channels.
 Raise the maximum operating level of Gatun Lake
Then-Panamanian President Martín Torrijos formally proposed the project on 24
April 2006, saying it would transform Panama into a First World country.A
national referendum approved the proposal by a 76.8 percent majority on 22
October, and the Cabinet and National Assembly followed suit. The project
formally began in 2007. It was initially announced that the Canal expansion would
be completed by August 2014 to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the opening
of the Panama Canal but various setbacks, including strikes and disputes with the
construction consortium over cost overruns, pushed the completion date first to
June 2015 then December 2015. On 14 April 2015, Canal Project Minister Roberto
Roy announced that the Canal expansion would be operational by 1 April 2016.
The project is expected to create demand for ports to handle New Panamax ships.
Several U.S. Eastern Seaboard ports will be ready for these larger ships, and others
are considering renovations, including dredging, blasting, and bridge rising. In the
UK, the Port of Southampton can handle post-Panamax vessels and is expanding to
accommodate more, while the Port of Liverpool will be capable by 2015 and others
are considering such expansion.
Port of Balboa
The Port of Balboa is the terminal port for the Pacific Ocean end of the Panama Canal.
The Port of Balboa is just ten kilometers southwest and a district of Panama City,
Panama’s capital, and five kilometers west-southwest of the Port of Panama. The Port of
Balboa was named for Vasco Nunez de Balboa, the first European known to have seen
the Pacific Ocean from the Americas. In 2000, about 2300 people lived in the Port of
Balboa.
The town was founded by the United States while they built the Panama Canal. Before
being drained and filled, the area was occupied by marshlands and a few small ranches.
Today, it contains vast harbor installations, warehouses, dry docks, marine and rail repair
shops, and a coaling plant. Its sister port, the Port of Cristobal, lies on the eastern end of
the Canal.

Port History
Balboa was formerly located at La Boca French Port on Panama’s Pacific coast. The
United States refurbished the port when they started building the Panama Canal, naming
it Ancon.
Since the Port of Balboa was inaugurated in 1909, it has served a vital role in worldwide
maritime trade, as it was the only port between Santa Cruz, Mexico, and El Callao, Peru,
that could handle the era’s biggest vessels of three thousand tons.
From the early 20th Century until 1979 and the abolishing of the United States’ “Canal
Zone,” the Port of Balboa was the zone’s administrative center and a territory of the
United States. Today, the Canal’s former administrative building houses the Panama
Canal Administration. In 1915, a US Navy VLF-transmission station sent orders to US
submarines from the Port of Balboa.
As a US territory, the Port of Balboa contained American schools, post office, a
commissary, a cafeteria, a service center, fire and police stations, and a yacht club and
other recreational facilities run by the US government.
Since it became part of the Republic of Panama, the Port of Balboa has been redeveloped,
and its port has been enhanced. The houses and commercial areas are now privately-
owned. Most of the former public institutions, like the schools, have been closed. The
Port of Balboa is now part of Panama City’s suburb of Ancon and what Panamanians call
the “areas revertidas.”
Balboa is the Pacific-side port of the Panama Canal. The port has a dry dock
in Panamax the gates have a construction similar to that of the locks of the Panama
canal.
Balboa port operation management responsible
The Panama Ports Company (PPC) has been the responsible for managing the ports at
either end of the Panama Canal, the Port of Balboa and the Port of Cristobal. The
company operates by concession granted by the government of Panama in 1997. A
subsidiary of the Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) Group, the PPC is transforming both
the ports into "mega-ports" to increase capacity to 6.5 million TEUs per year. The PPC's
objective is to facilitate global commerce and economy growth by developing and
modernizing the ports' infrastructures and services.
Since it was opened in late 2000, the Port of Balboa container terminal has been
recognized as one of Panama's most important terminals. Within its first six months of
operations, the Port of Balboa container terminal had handled 380 thousand TEUs, its

maximum capacity. Expansion projects modernized the port, and a renewed, larger-
capacity facility began operating in
. Thus the third expansion phase started and initiated in 2005. This markedly, increased
the capacity and handling of the cargo in the port (Panama Ports Company).Table 3
represents current facilities of Balboa port after expansion phases. These expansions have
cost around 1 billion dollars for this company until now. In addition, according to one of
managers of Balboa port, the largest cranes in the world are located in this port.
Table 3: Current facilities of Balboa port
Balboa is known as the second largest port terminal in Panama. Balboa is configured with
the main portion of working cargo piers on the Eastern side of the canal. The port can
accommodate all types of cargo. Directly across the canal are the piers belonging to the
old Rodman Naval Base. These are now simply identified as the Rodman Piers by the
Panama Canal Authority and accommodate bunkering and stores operations, as well as
serving as berths for visiting military vessels. The piers offer safe navigation of naval
vessels. Pier 1 is used by oil and gas tankers, Pier 2 are used by U.S. Naval and Coast
Guard vessels and Pier 3 is used by the Panama Coast Guard. The Port of Balboa has
invested over US$500 million on its facilities. A 2.44 kilometers quay with a depth
alongside of 16 meters, 10 post-Panamax quay cranes and eight Panamax quay cranes
allow the port to handle up to one post-Panamax ship, two Panamax vessels, and one
feeder container vessel simultaneously. The port also has 48 rubber-tyred gantry cranes,
six reach stackers, and 28 empty container handlers. The Port of Balboa and its sister port
at Cristobal are operated by Panama Ports Company offers a one-stop shop with world-
class efficiency and comprehensive services that ensure the ports maintain top reputations
with shipping lines (HPH, Panama Ports Company).
PORT COMMERCE
Panama Ports Company (PPC) has been the responsible for managing the ports at either
end of the Panama Canal, the Port of Balboa and the Port of Cristobal. The company

operates by concession granted by the government of Panama in 1997. A subsidiary of
the Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) Group, the PPC is transforming both the ports into
"mega-ports" to increase capacity to 6.5 million TEUs per year. The PPC's objective is to
facilitate global commerce and economy growth by developing and modernizing the
ports' infrastructures and services.
Since it was opened in late 2000, the Port of Balboa container terminal has been
recognized as one of Panama's most important terminals. Within its first six months of
operations, the Port of Balboa container terminal had handled 380 thousand TEUs, its
maximum capacity. Expansion projects modernized the port, and a renewed, larger-
capacity facility began operating in early 2005.
The Port of Balboa covers 182 hectares and contains five berths for containers and two
multi-purpose berths. In total, the berths are over 2.3 thousand meters long (7.4 thousand
feet) with alongside depth of 17 meters (55.8 feet). The Port of Balboa has four super
post-Panamax, ten post-Panamax, and eight Panamax quay cranes. The Port of Balboa is
also equipped with 51 rubber-tyred gantry cranes, i reachstackers, 19 empty container
handlers, and 21 forklifts. The Port of Balboa also contains 2.1 thousand square meters
(22.6 thousand square feet) of warehouse space.
The Port of Balboa is strategically positioned to be a major player in world commerce
and transportation. The world's biggest shipping lines call on the port regularly, and the
Port of Balboa handles a third of all cargo moving through Panama's ports. In 2007, the
Port of Balboa had total capacity to handle 2.5 million TEUs of containerized cargo. In
2007, it received the Maersk Seletar, the first post-Panamax vessel with capacity for 6500
TEUs. Also in 2007, it started weekly service to post-Panamax ships operating between
Asia and the west coast of Latin America. The Port of Balboa is also a cargo hub for
South America and the Caribbean.
The Port of Balboa, operated by Hutchinson Port Holdings (HPH) is an important
transshipment hub on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal. It handled 2.75 million TEUs
in 2010, but the port is close to capacity and with limited options for expansion. The
ship in the middle (blue color) is operated by Maersk line and is of post-panamax design,
implying that it cannot enter the Panama Canal (which begins on the left side of the
photo). The transshipped containers can either be placed on another ship or on the
Panama Canal Railway which has an intermodal terminal immediately adjacent to the
port. Through this rail connection, a container can be brought to the port of Colon on
the Atlantic side of the canal. In 2015, a new container port expansion project was
approved at Corozal, just upstream of the port of Balboa, on 120 hectares of land that
used to belong to the US Army, and which has been administered by the Panama Canal
Authority since the hand over of the canal zone to the Panamanian government in 1999.
The expansion is expected to add about 5.2 million TEUs of capacity in two phases.

1. Geographical Location
a. Ocean Ports
 Much more easy to enter
 Can be reached in short time
 Time to berth is short
BALBOA port Container Liner Service
Ports of Call
Carrier Count Map
APL 150 view
Hapag-Lloyd 153 view
Libra 189 view
Maersk Line 188 view
Mediterranean Shipping Company(MSC) 264 view
MOL 153 view
NYK 129 view
Zim 144 view
Balboa has a multimodal (ship-to-train) terminal, called the Pacific Terminal, connected to
Colón by the Panama Canal Railway. This allows transportation of containers by train across
the isthmus. The railway also runs a passenger service between Panama City and Colón,
once a day, each way.

Climate[edit]
[hide]Climate data for Balboa
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F)
31
(87)
32
(89)
32
(89)
32
(89)
31
(87)
30
(86)
30
(86)
31
(87)
30
(86)
30
(86)
30
(86)
30
(86)
30.8
(87)
Average low °C (°F)
22
(71)
22
(71)
23
(73)
23
(73)
24
(75)
23
(73)
23
(73)
23
(73)
23
(73)
23
(73)
23
(73)
23
(73)
22.9
(72.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches)
33
(1.3)
18
(0.7)
13
(0.5)
74
(2.9)
201
(7.9)
200
(8)
180
(7)
198
(7.8)
198
(7.8)
262
(10.3)
250
(10)
137
(5.4)
1,764
(69.6)
Source: Weatherbase [2]
Challenge
The Port of Balboa was projected to grow and needed to be transformed into a
major hub serving Pacific trade routes. In turn, the PPC decided to undertake an
ambitious expansion program.
Solution
Louis Berger and BergerABAM were engaged to help the PPC craft an
innovative design-build program to accelerate terminal development. The project
included a new 450-meter-long berthing wharf and 35-hectare container yard.

The development also included:
 Dredging to bedrock and filling the 15-hectare areas behind Piers 16 and 17
with reclaimed materials and installing a 20-meter-high rock retaining dyke.
 Excavating new channels for the Maria Salas and Curundu rivers and
removing eight sunken vessels.
 Creating a civil works package to pave and develop the filled area and install
utilities.
 Designing and supervising the construction of new infrastructure to convert
all diesel eRTGs to electric, generating significant savings for the port.
Upon completion, the PPC more than doubled its throughput capacity. The port
can now accommodate multiple post-Panamax ships at the dock and has 1,700
meters of quay, 22 super post-Panamax cranes, 57 rubber tyred gantry cranes
and a container capacity of over 4 million twenty-foot equivalent units annually.
UNCTAD
UNCTAD assistsdevelopingcountriesintheireffortstointegrate intothe worldeconomyonan
equitable basis.Inthe areaof trade,the focushas turnedtowardsthe reductionof non-tariff
barriersand trade facilitationmeasures.Thisisbecause barriers,suchaslongwaitingtimesat
borders,inappropriate feesandcumbersome administrativeprocedures,constitute obstacles
for trade that are as seriousastariff barriers.Consequently,UNCTADiscommittedtoassisting
developingcountriesastheycarry outthese complex,behind-bordermeasures,whichinclude
broad institutional andregulatoryreformsaswell asspecificactionsaimedatimprovingport
efficiency,forexample.Portefficiencyisimportantfortrade facilitationbecause portsare the
mainentry and exitpointsforinternational trade.Involume terms,nearly80 % of world
merchandise transitsbysea.Formanydevelopingcountries,thisfiguresurpasses90% . Port
efficiencytherefore hasadirectimpacton the abilityof a countryto participate ininternational
trade.It followsthatportsservingdevelopingcountriesmustoperate efficientlyforthemto
integrate intothe worldeconomyeffectively.UNCTADassistsportsindevelopingcountriesby
conductingresearch,carryingouttechnical assistance activitiesandprovidingtrainingand
capacity-building.The TrainForTrade PortTrainingProgramstrengthenstalentmanagementand
humanresourcesdevelopmentinportsindevelopingcountriesbysettingupa sustainable

capacity-buildingframeworkfortrainingfuturemanagers.Italsocreatesportnetworks,bringing
togetherportexpertsfrompublicandprivate entitiesfromaroundthe globe toshare
knowledge andexpertise,andtocapitalize onresearchconductedthroughthe programwith
regardto port managementandportperformance indicators.A keycomponentof the program
isthe dissertationprocess.Participantsworkwithseniormanagersintheirportstoconduct
researchon a specificproblemfacedbythe portandpropose feasible solutions.The dissertation
processrequiresthatthe participantsputintopractice whattheyhave learnedandallowsthem
to immediatelycontribute toimprovingoperationsintheirports.Uponcompletion,the
participantsdefendtheirdissertationsbefore panelscomposedof seniormanagersfromtheir
respective ports,aswell asseniormanagersfromotherportsthatare membersof the program
and representativesof UNCTAD.
Newspaper interview in balboa port
Question 1: In what ways, if at all, does your port anticipate being impacted by the
expansion of the Panama Canal?
Port of Balboa: Panama Canal expansion could have negative impact on our ports but
we are preparing the ports to deal with the challenges. For example, currently, the large
ships that cannot pass the Panama Canal unload their containers in Balboa port and then
we pass it to the Cristobal and then another ship loads them. Panama Canal expansion
decreases this type of service. Furthermore, some ships due to their extra weight (the
sizes fit Canal), unload some of their containers in Balboa and after passing the canal we
deliver them in Cristobal port. Panama Canal expansion probably will decrease this type
of service. On the other hand, since increase in cargo traffic and number of vessels, and
the fact that Panama is looking to be the main transshipment hub in Latin America, we
are investing on our port facilities (Cranes, field, ) to use the opportunities and make up
the loses.
Question 2: What role do you anticipate your port will play after this expansion project
is completed?
Port of Balboa: We look forward to keep our position as a number one port in Latin
America. Also, with investment on facilities and buying new cranes (largest cranes in the
world), we expect to do the process faster. Therefore we will have an increase in capacity
Question 3: Has your port initiated efforts to accommodate the expected increase in
cargo traffic and number of vessels on account of the Panama Canal’s expansion? If so,
would you please provide details on this expansion effort, including information such as
new container facilities and equipment, deepening efforts, channel maintenance efforts
and any other relevant features?
Port of Balboa: From 1998 the port is expanding. In 1996, the port handled 44000 TEU.
In 1998, Phase1, $120 Million was spent. In 2000, port reached its maximum capacity

due to new facilities. In 2001, 358000 TEU were handled. In 2005, company invested
500 million dollars.
2006 was a milestone for company. In 2007, phase 4 started with 403 million dollars
investment to develop land field. In 2008, capacity became doubled. In 2010, the biggest
cranes in the world were installed in Balboa.
Question 4: If your port has initiated expansion efforts, what is the expected cost of this
project? How will your port raise the funds necessary for the expansion? Please specify
the breakdown of federal, state, local and private funds.
Port of Balboa: The Balboa has spent around 1billion dollars for expansion. The Panama
Port Company has connection with several banks in the world to prepare required
financial sources. Since Balboa port is a private company, we do not expect any help
from government.
Question 5: Has the legislature in your state initiated any legislation to propel this
expansion process forward and, if so, would you please list the specifics related to the
legislation?
Port of Balboa: No, this is a private company and we do not expect any help. (90% of
company belongs to people and 10% belongs to government. Therefore Panama Port
company is categorized as a private company)
Question 6: What preparations has your port initiated in terms of multimodal (rail,
truck) transportation solutions?
Port of Balboa: Rail in Panama is a governmental sector. It is one way rail road which is
used to connect the Port of Balboa to Port of Cristobal.
Question 7: Has the ongoing global economic recession and the steep drop in world
cargo traffic resulted in a change in your plans regarding preparing for the Panama
Canal expansion?
Port of Balboa: 2009 was year of recession in the world. This company missed 7% of
cargos. However, in 2010, we received our largest cranes in the world. Therefore we can
say no.
Question 8: What would you identify as the major obstacles or challenges to your port’s
expansion efforts?
Port of Balboa: Major obstacles are not financial but are structural. For instance, there is
an airport here that due to safety issues the containers cannot be too high. Also,
Neighbors complain due to noise and pollution of construction site. Also there are two
rivers that plans must be adjusted based on them.
Question 9: Has your port entered into an agreement or memorandum of understanding
(MOU) with the Panama Canal Authority and, if so, what would you categorize as the
main elements of this agreement?
Port of Balboa: We have integration with them. But there is not any written agreement
between us. They are government and we are a private company.

Question 10: Are there any other details or related information you would like to
emphasize in light of the expansion of the Panama Canal?
Port of Balboa: Certainly, the advantages of Panama Canal Expansion are more than
disadvantages for us.

Port project

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