The 2025 Investors Forum, organized by the Latin American Stock Exchange (LATINEX), analyzed the economic and operational strategies of the Panama Canal during the months in which the dry season had its highest impact, influenced by the 2023-2024 El Niño phenomenon.
During the presentation, Panama Canal Administrator Ricaurte Vásquez Morales shared the strategies implemented and the results achieved in the 2023-2024 fiscal year in terms of ship transits and economic revenues from this operation.
The presentation titled “Adaptability in Times of Uncertainty,” addressed the social and environmental challenges faced by the Panama Canal, as well as short-, medium-, and long-term strategies aimed at ensuring the efficiency and reliability of the route in the international maritime market.
Vásquez explained that the strategy of auctioning transit slots during days of draft restrictions and reduced transits, due to the dry season, produced the expected financial and operational results. “We designed a different pricing structure based on the locks used by ships, thereby establishing a value for water usage. Other countries place an economic value on oil or minerals, and we have established the economic value of freshwater from the lake. This way, our strategy, adapted to the environmental reality, allowed us to optimize revenues, reduce operating costs, and maintain our competitiveness in the market,” highlighted the canal administrator.
Watershed, Sustainability, and Innovation
During the forum, which brought together entrepreneurs and investors from Panama and the region, the long-term social and environmental strategies that are already yielding results were presented. These include land registry and titling programs in the Eastern Watershed of the Panama Canal, as well as agroforestry, forest protection, and other programs developed over the last decade with excellent results in the provinces of Panama, Panama Oeste, and Colón.
This vision of social, environmental, and economic development will be replicated in the Western watershed region, which includes communities along the banks of the Indio River, between the provinces of Coclé and Colón. This area was returned to the Panama Canal’s management in July 2024, where initial efforts to implement these social impact projects, aligned with the cultural realities of the families, are underway.
Long-Term Slot Allocation Method
One of the economic innovations of the Panama Canal presented at this forum was the Long-Term Slot Allocation method. This strategy, progressing as planned, has begun bidding for shipping companies interested in purchasing transit slots for the next fiscal year, with very positive results. “We started with gas carriers and will evaluate the progress of this plan. This system guarantees shipping companies the certainty of properly scheduled cargo movements using the Panama Canal,” Administrator Vásquez highlighted in his conversation with journalists.
Source: Panama Canal
