El canal tiene una presencia y una influencia fundamental en la vida de los panameños.
Gracias a su ubicación y su forma delgada, Panamá disfruta de una posición como el guardián de una de las rutas más importantes de comercio marítimo del mundo, la que conecta los océanos Pacífico y Atlántico.
Durante cien años, el Canal de Panamá ha proporcionado un atajo para los buques que deseen evitar la ruta más peligrosa, vía Cabo de Hornos.
Wall Street Journal
Ships are loaded and unloaded at the Port of Los Angeles. With fuel costs soaring and concerns over pollution rising, some shipping innovators are looking to revive an old technology to cut costs: sails. Associated Press
SINGAPORE—As the shipping industry struggles with high fuel costs and tepid demand, some innovators say that high-tech sails may hold the secret to cheaper and cleaner fuel.
Even more remarkable than the proposed P3 space-sharing agreement among three of the biggest container lines was the speed at which they abandoned it, following its rejection by Chinese regulators.
In ruling against the P3 Network of Maersk Line, Mediterranean Shipping Co. and CMA CGM, China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said last week that the mega-alliance “may have the impact of competition elimination and restriction.” The agency found that it might command a market share of nearly 47% in the container trades from Asia to Europe.
The thumbs-down came as a shock to all involved, but responses from the lines amounted to a shrug, at least publicly. “The P3 partners take note of and respect MOFCOM’s decision,” said all three lines in separate statements. “Subsequently, the