Portal partners
Record year for the Panama Canal
Author:Mariusz Dasiewicz
Over half a billion tons of goods flowed through the Panama Canal in the last year, which means a record level for the world's key maritime road," said Ricourte Vasquez, administrator of the Panama Canal Authority on Thursday.
"It was a unique year," he said during the Ricaurte Vasquez press conference, for the first time the channel "transported" over 500 million tons of goods in 12 months.
Goods carried on increasingly large cargo ships over 80 km transoceanic channel in the fiscal year 2021 accounted for about 3.5% of world maritime trade, dominated by grain and petroleum products, oil and petrol.
Vasquez explained that the new record was stimulated by larger units carrying more containers as well as a sharp increase in the transport of liquefied natural gas to Asia.
In fiscal year 2022, which began early this month, it is expected that even more goods, or about 535 million tonnes, will be transported via the channel," Vasquez said.
Source: PAP
