Seatrade Maritime: Panama seeks operator interest for new container terminals

The Panama Canal has taken the first step towards developing new container terminals on the Atlantic and Pacific sides of the waterway.

An initial working meeting to identify future partners for the planned terminals saw representatives from the world’s top port operators as well as many major shipping lines, which are users of the canal, attending.

According to the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) was attended by representatives from APM Terminals, Cosco Shipping Ports, CMA Terminals–CMA, DP World, Hanseatic Global Terminals, MOL, PSA International, SSA Marine–Grupo Carrix, and Terminal Investment Limited participated, as well as representatives from CMA CGM, ONE, Evergreen, Hapag Lloyd, HMM, Maersk Line, MSC, OOCL, Cosco, Yang Ming, the Port of Houston, and Zim.

The presence of China’s Cosco Shipping both as a terminal operator and a line was notable given the issues the Panama has experienced in the last 12 months with the Trump administration in the US claiming that existing terminals controlled by Hong Kong-headquartered Hutchison Whampoa were tantamount to Chinese control of the key waterway.

The process for developing the new terminals will proceed with a market and feasibility study and a general projection plan before moving to a process to select a concessionaire. This would include a pre-qualification stage with selection expected in Q4 of 2026.

“The Panama Canal reaffirms its commitment to transparency, responsible planning, and adherence to institutional procedures, in line with its mission to promote the sustainable and competitive development of Panama’s maritime system,” ACP said.

The two terminals would be designed to increase transhipment capacity around the entrances to the canal by 5 million teu with construction starting in 2027.

Currently there are five terminals in operation – SSA Marine’s MIT, Hutchison’s Panama Ports Co. in Balboa and Cristobal, Colon Container Terminal operated by Evergreen, and one operated by PSA Panama. In 2024 the five terminals handled 9.4 million teu. The ACP said port capacity in the interoceanic area was currently operating near its limit.