The U.S. company SSA Marine, through its subsidiary Manzanillo International Terminal in Panama, plans to invest in Colon more than 200 million dollars in the coming years to expand port services provided by this prestigious company to shipping lines.
Jon Hemingway, CEO of SSA Marine / Carrix, in a recent visit to the city of Colon mention, where he met with the President of the Panama, Ricardo Martinelli, to express its gratitude and optimism for the future of Panama and the potential of our country as a center of world trade.
The company recently MIT, a subsidiary of SSA Marine, reached an agreement with the Government through the Panama Maritime Authority, to formalize the processes that allow this important investment, the first in the new scenario proposed by the North American Free Trade with the United States of America a reality.
The future expansion of the port include dredging the access channel, a new dock for maneuvers, 3 new piers for post-Panamax ships with the Canal expansion that will begin to transit the waterway, additional areas for loading and storage facility 9 gantry cranes, three of which are already close to arrival. Also acquire new equipment for container handling at the port.
Since it began operations in Colon in 1995, Manzanillo International Terminal has been a steady growth in port activity. In 1995 saw the movement of 72.021containers or TEUs. In 2011 the port has moved almost two million containers. In its first year of operation had 521 people with direct jobs within the company. Today the company employs nearly two thousand employees, including direct jobs and subcontracts.The investment will also increase the degree of competitiveness of the country, maintaining its leadership in the transshipment of cargo services in the region, at a time when other countries such as Jamaica, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Bahamas and Costa Rica fight for attention from shipping lines currently using Panama as a transshipment hub for the region. Improving the country’s logistics capacity, Manzanillo International Terminal contributes to the consolidation of our country’s geographical position as a competitive advantage.
More importantly, the expansion of port facilities is also the promise of growth for Colon and its people. MIT will continue recruiting, training and hiring colonense, creating more and better employment opportunities, and investing in social projects that contribute to the welfare of all.
[mappress] World Maritime News Staff, December 23, 2011;