Impactos en indicadores internacionales panameños a raíz de la apertura del tercer juego de esclusas en el Canal de Panamá

Abstract

The design, building and opening of the Panama Canal represented to this country great economic and commercial opportunities to enter the international market in a privileged position, under which it is easier to transport and place goods for global interaction, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. However, the accelerated demand growth for maritime transport in Panama makes necessary that the Canal authority focuses its efforts on offering services to other market segments, diversifying its portfolio to reach sustainability and perdurability over time. This gave birth to the expansion plan of the Panama Canal: opening the third set of locks (Cocolí and Aguaclara).

This is the reason for this research, which seeks to determine the impact of the opening of the Panama Canal third set of locks on Panama’s international trade and economy, making a comparison of its commercial situation, from 2006 to 2018, through the analysis of international performance indicators, the study of the behavior of ports close to the Canal, and the presentation of the main challenges and changes that Panamanian international trade has had to face since the Canal expansion.