By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Here's another one, this time it was a slowdown by the Panama Canal Pilots in 1980 that was covered by ABC News - "ABC Evening News for Tuesday, Oct 21, 1980 Headline: Panama Canal / Pilots Strike Abstract: (Studio) Report introduced REPORTER: Frank Reynolds (Panama Canal) Backup at Panama Canal due to increase in international shipping and work slowdown of pilots examined; films shown. [Canal commission spokesperson Dennis McAULIFFE - comments.] Issues still to be negotiated outlined. REPORTER: James Walker"

Come On, Guys - Get With The Program: Sooner or later the mainstream media is going to pick up on this story. La Prensa took a nibble but didn't bite hard. Sooner, or later... It's the read deal.

Copyright 2008 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Now I'm running into some really interesting stuff. I bet you didn't know about the "Anthrax Strike" of the Panama Canal. This was a "sick-out" labor action taken by Panama Canal workers in March 1976 and was called the "anthrax strike" because union leaders were calling the Panama Canal Commission "gutless sheep." I found this amazing article which provides in incredible detail the origins of the strike: "By Wednesday March 17 the story was plastered across the front pages of American newspapers. “’Sickout’ Almost Shuts Panama Canal” blared the banner headline of the Miami Herald that morning. A backlog of ships carrying cargo in international commerce was starting to develop on both ends of the canal. The Governor’s office claimed that 700 of the 3,500 US citizen employees had called in sick by midday Tuesday. The unions claimed it was “closer to 1,500 or 2,000.”[95] The Panama Canal had never been closed since the 1915 landslide and the Governor was bound to see that it didn’t happen on his watch either." (Source: "Anthrax Strike: The 1976 Outbreak of Labor Militancy in the Panama Canal Zone" by Michael Murphy, IBEW Local Union 520, Senior Seminar, October 2005)

Copyright 2008 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - In researching this story about the ongoing "malicious compliance" strike being carried out by the pilot's of the Panama Canal I ran into this reference on the Internet, taken from The Maritime Advocate.com and published in October 1999 - "Panama Canal employees were forbidden to strike pursuant to US law. The closest situation to a strike occurred when the Panama Canal pilots held "work slowdowns" when they were unhappy in their negotiation of wages and benefits. These situations were normally resolved very quickly, and the canal basically operated in an orderly and efficient manner." These are the same group of crusty old farts that have been pushing steel through the Panama Canal practically since it was dug. The new administration, the ACP, had better find a way to end this quickly because the canal is not currently "operating in an orderly and efficient manner" as it was in the past. The pilots basically have the ACP with one ball in each hand, and they are slowly squeezing. And apparently it's worked in the past.

Copyright 2008 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Well, today I decided to check back in on the kluster that has become the Panama Canal. Back in the second week of February 2008 (now about eight weeks ago) the Panama Canal pilots started an informal and undeclared "malicious compliance" strike. More of a work slow-down than anything else, really. They want a new labor contract and a raise but the ACP has been blowing them off for more than two years. So, they decided to just turn the heat up a little. Well, the heat has been on a slow boil for about two months now and it seems they've pegged the backlog they want to maintain at "about 100" ships waiting to get through. More show up, more go through. Less show up, less go through. It kind of makes you wonder who is actually running the show over there. (more)

Maritime Global Net.com - The Panama Maritime Authority, which administers the world’s largest commercial fleet, says it is now offering access to the Bureau of Maritime Security (SEGUMAR) on a continued basis, 24 hours a day seven days a week, for the users of the Panama Registry. Previously based in New York, SEGUMAR services and offices have been relocated in Panama, in the new headquarters of the Panama Maritime Authority. SEGUMAR's Panama Office is manned around the clock by officials bilingual in English and Spanish who will be able to respond immediately to queries. SEGUMAR-New York will continue to print and deliver the Technical Certificates issued and approved by the SEGUMAR-Panama Office, receive the payments by Recognized Organizations (ROs) related to the issuance of statutory certificates, attend technical inquiries from the costumer’s area, act as liaison between the General Directorate of Merchant Marine and the customers of the geographical area, follow-up on PSC detentions and will liaise with PSC authorities of the geographical area.

La Prensa - The Queen Elizabeth II, a ship with 40 years of history, passed through the Panama Canal yesterday for the last time. The cruise ship which measures 963 feet in length and 105 feet wide and a capacity for more than 2,000 passengers, will be turned into a floating hotel in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - How many ships can pass through the Panama Canal every day? What exactly is the daily capacity of the Panama Canal? How is that capacity measured? The answer is - "it depends." The advertised capacity of the canal is 38 ships per day. Sometimes they can get as many as 41 or 42 through on a "good day." And it really matters what kinds of ships are going through - it's easier to get some through than others. The ACP has what they consider to be their best customers, the owners of the major shipping lines that put hundreds of ships through the canal every year and paying millions of dollars for the service. So here's the question - if the Panama Canal Pilots actually are conducting some kind of an undeclared work slowdown, and that work slowdown is causing the backlog, how would anyone know? Would it even be possible to detect? The answer is "probably not." (more)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - I just checked with the Panama Canal Administration regarding the backlog, and they are sticking to their three part response regarding the backlog of vessels - the backlog has been caused by a combination of increased arrivals and maintenance work on the locks. They have now suspended all maintenance work and have assigned additional resources to help clear out the backlog. And, they don't know anything about reports of a work slowdown by Panama Canal pilots. They did confirm that currently there are 98 ships in the backlog, which has remained at about 100 ships or so for now going on seven weeks. So now what happens if the ACP can not clear out the backlog and the current situation continues for six or ten months - no more maintenance work on the canal locks? Please add "head in the sand culture" to the list of deficiencies for Panamanian managers in general. To be fair I was just talking to people in the ACP communications office, and they are only authorized to tell the press exactly what has been coordinated with their bosses. So they too have been turned into perfect robots. Right now I'm waiting for a call back to request an interview with someone in the ACP management authorized to discuss the (non declared) situation with the canal pilots. Maybe the phone will never ring, but who knows.

Copyright 2008 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.

By Wilfredo Jordán Serrano for La Prensa - The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has suspended regular maintenance work on the Miraflores and Pedro Miguel locks to ease the passage of ships waiting at the entrances of the Panama Canal. As of yesterday there were 98 ships waiting to transit the canal confirmed the ACP. According the the ACP, the backlog has been caused by an increase in the arrivals of ships significantly from 38.2 per day last year to 43 ships per day in the present period. Some ships have had to wait in the anchorage for more than a week to be able to make the transit, with the exception of those ships that have paid an additional fee for a scheduled transit spot. (more)

• Note: La Prensa picked up on this story because of reporting in the Panama-Guide.com
  
  
• Related Articles:
  
  
  • "The Panama Canal Pilots "Malicious Compliance" Non-Strike" - 29 March 2008
    
    
  • "Panama Canal Still More Constipated than Grandma..." - 21 March 2008
    
    
  • Panama Canal Tug Cacique Rams Cayuco Race Officals Boat - 18 March 2008
    
    
  • "Panama Canal Seriously Backed Up ($hips Waiting to Pass Through)"" - 12 March 2008
  • "Panama Canal Authority sees revenue growth in 2008" - 20 February 2008
  
  
  
• Photo Credit: LA PRENSA/ David Mesa
  
  
• Discussion: Discuss this situation in our Forums

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - The Panama Canal continues to be backed up worse than Grandma on a field trip without her Metamucil. And of course it only makes headline news when it effects a ship load of paying cruise line passengers - see the story below about the severely pissed-off passengers on a cruise ship who went through the Panama Canal - at night. The owners of cargo vessels have been waiting a week or more to get their vessels through. The Panama Canal has been severely backed up for weeks with more than 100 vessels waiting in line for more than a week for a chance to go through. What's causing these delays? The Panama Canal has a serious case of "malicious compliance." (more) (Discuss this issue in our Forums)

Synfo.com - For those yacht crews who are planning to use the Panama Canal to cross from the Caribbean to the Pacific in the coming weeks note that there is a backlog of 100 vessels waiting to cross the channel and this may delay crossings for up to a week, according to Associated Yacht Services in Balboa, Panama. The AUTORIDAD DEL CANAL DE PANAMÁ has issued the following statement: During a moderate lull in arrivals last month, the ACP performed critical maintenance work at the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores Locks which required a few hours of lane outages. Unfortunately, this maintenance work coincided with a surge of arrivals in the second half of February. During this period, arrivals averaged 43.0 vessels per day, compared to the 38.2 vessels for the same period in Fiscal Year 2007. (more)

Maritime Global Net - A ROW has broken out over pilotage in Panama. The Panama Pilots Services Corp. (PPSC) has accused Caribbean Pilots Inc (CPI) of violating pilotage regulations, Panamanian criminal law and the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS) and has demanded immediate cancellation of the operational permit granted CPI. PPSC is a holding comprising three pilotage companies--Pilsemar, Quality Action Club and Practicos Unidos. Donaldo Sousa, PPSC’s attorney, says that legal action has been brought before the General Attorney’s Office against Dr. Hugo Torrijos Richa, CPI owner; CPI pilots Henry Pino and Antonio Barrios; the deputy administrator and the director of the Seafarers Department of the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP), Carlos Raul Moreno and Maribel Barreiro; nine marine officers and several executives working at Manzanillo International Terminal (MIT) and Colon Container Terminal (CCT).

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Some people who were there informed me of this incident. They write: "MARCH 16, 2008 INCIDENT AT ACP DIABLO DOCK, TUG CACIQUE AND YACHT MOLOKAI - The yacht MOLOKAI had been designated the official timing and finish line vessel for the 2008 Ocean to Ocean Panama Canal Cayuco Race. The party of race officials and timers was boarded from the ACP dock at Diablo astern of the crane boat ATLAS at around 1330 and then the MOLOKAI proceeded to the finish line area and anchored to perform its duty as a finish line mark. At the finish of the race the timers and officials completed their work and then the MOLOKAI proceeded to the ACP dock to debark. At 1745, having just made fast to the dock, the MOLOKAI was debarking the officials and the APC tug CACIQUE came around the end of the dock from the Canal and proceeded to blow it’s whistle apparently to clear MOLOKAI out of the area that the tug operator wanted to tie up to. (more)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - More than 100 ships are waiting in the anchorages of the Panama Canal in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, waiting for a turn to pass through the "big ditch," Panama-Guide.com has learned. Some ships have been waiting for more than eight days and delays can significantly increase shipping costs. Regularly scheduled maintenance and repair work on the Panama Canal can often create backups and delays but there have been no major lane outages recently. The most recent Monthly Canal Operations Summary (February 2008) shows that the next significant lane outage is not scheduled until August of 2008. (more)

By Els Kroon for Allatsea.net - While undergoing a huge expansion program, the Panama Canal is currently in the worldwide spotlight. When the chance to cross the Canal on a cargo ship fell to my lot last September, I didn’t hesitate for a second and started preparing and gathering information at once. The story of the current expansion can be read in All At Sea’s January 2008 issue, and Nedra Walker told our readers in the December issue about her experiences transiting the canal from the Atlantic to the Pacific on a 36 ft sailboat. (See www.allatsea.net for both articles.) Transiting on a 300 ft cargo ship in the opposite direction is a different story! (more)

PANAMA CITY, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Revenue from Panama Canal transit fees are expected to increase by about 10 percent in 2008, despite likely slower growth in world trade, the Panama Canal Authority said on Tuesday. Toll revenues should reach $1.30 billion this year, compared with $1.18 billion in 2007, Authority analyst Rodolfo Sabonage said at an event. Many of the gains are expected to come from increased transit fees. In January, the Authority reported that toll revenue had increased in the previous three months by about 8 percent to $300 million, despite a drop in transits resulting from high oil prices and slower growth in U.S. demand. The Panama Canal accounts for about 20 percent of Panamanian gross domestic product and its toll revenue accounts for a sizable chunk of the national budget. (Reporting by Andrew Beatty; Editing by Braden Reddall)

By Santiago Fascetto for La Prensa - The Panama Canal Authority filed a complaint before the Public Ministry denouncing a supposed fraud of more than $700,000 dollars. The primary suspect is Igor Tello Spadafora, an ACP employee and nephew of Supreme Court Magistrate Winston Spadafora. Tello Spadafora won, through the company TPM Suppliers S.A., 261 licitations thanks to key information he handled as part of his position within the ACP. But the case, headed by the Third Anti-Corruption Prosecutor Yolanda Austin and the judge of the 15th Criminal court Georgina Tuñón could be diluted. The lawyers of the implied one presented a criminal complaint against both the prosecutor and judge. The lawyers accuse the prosecutor and judge of violating private correspondence of their client after a search of the TPM Suppliers company offices. In addition, they filed a request to protect the due process in favor of their client with the First Superior Court, saying that as Spadafora's nephew they are acting quickly against him.

PANAMA CITY, Jan 30, (Reuters) - Trade through the Panama Canal dipped in the last three months of 2007 amid a downturn in the U.S. economy and high oil prices, canal officials said. The tonnage passing through the canal dropped 2 percent to 79.0 million PC/UMS tonnes from 80.6 million PC/UMS tonnes in the same quarter in 2006. PC/UMS is Panama Canal/Universal Measurement System, which gauges the total net volume of the ships. The number of ships transiting the canal was also down in the same period, falling 1.4 percent to 3,518. Canal officials say the figures point to a drop in the volume of manufacturing exports to the United States, in response to slowing consumer demand. "Soaring oil prices and a general economic downturn, including the U.S. housing crisis, the credit crunch and the dollar (weakness) have impacted global production and trade," said Rodolfo Sabonge, vice president for research and market analysis at the Panama Canal Authority, said late on Tuesday. The 94-year-old canal is the principal shipping route between China and the eastern seaboard of the United States. (Reporting by Andrew Beatty; Editing by Walter Bagley)

PANAMA CITY, Panama, January 25, 2008 – Every day at the Panama Canal, critical services are performed by tugboats, linehandlers and locomotives, securing and guiding vessels into the locks. These and other marine services are somewhat behind-the-scenes but they play an integral role in ensuring that each vessel has a safe, reliable and efficient transit. As the popularity of Panamax vessels has increased, marine services have grown in importance. Since these Panamax vessels are 106 feet wide and the locks are 110 feet wide, state-of-the-art equipment and highly trained personnel are essential to usher these vessels through the waterway. Nearly 50 percent of Canal transits are Panamax vessels. (more)

PANAMA CITY, November 15, 2007 – The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) opened the 2008 fiscal year (October 1 – September 30) setting a monthly transit record in October for ships spanning 900 feet or more in length. A total of 164 ships of these dimensions transited the Canal last month, breaking the previous record of 159 ships, achieved in December 2006. Additionally, the daily average for registered ships 900 feet or more in length transiting the Canal in October was 5.29 per day, surpassing the previous record of 5.17 per day, reached in November 2006. (more)

PANAMA CITY, Panama, October 29, 2007 – The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) announced its operational metrics for the 2007 fiscal year (FY 07) today. Year-end (October – September) statistics reveal a drop in Canal Waters Time (CWT), the average time it takes a vessel to navigate the Canal including waiting time. The numbers show a rise in total annual tonnage, evidenced by the Canal’s record-breaking achievement surpassing the 300 million ton mark. The Panama Canal set another transit record last September by ushering through 25 Panamax ships (the largest vessels able to transit the Canal) in one day. (more)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - This aerial view of the world famous Barro Colorado Island. From the web site of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute - "Barro Colorado Island (BCI), a 1,500-hectare island, is STRI's primary site for the study of lowland moist tropical forests. Together with five adjacent peninsulas, BCI forms the 5,400-hectare Barro Colorado Nature Monument (BCNM), which is located in the middle of the Panama Canal . Established in April 17, 1923 , BCNM and has been administered by the Smithsonian since 1946. We welcome around 200 scientists from around the world every year. Modern, air-conditioned laboratory space, a cafeteria, and accommodations are available for resident researchers, and the Field Research Station features all the necessary infrastructure: offices, labs, growing houses, an insectary, dark room, computer room, dining hall, conference room, visitor’s center, as well as Internet access, telephones, and boat rental services." This aerial view helps to get a grasp of the size of this huge island.

Copyright 2007 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.

ATHENS, Oct 17 (Reuters) - A cargo ship sank after colliding with another vessel near the northern Greek port of Thessaloniki on Wednesday and a crew member was missing, the merchant marine ministry said. "The Panama-flagged motorship Dubai Guardian collided with the Diamond 1 motorship at 1150 (0850GMT) and the latter sank," a ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters. "One of the crew members is still missing, probably the captain, while all others have been picked up." She said the Diamond 1 was most likely a Greek-registered vessel. It was not yet clear why the ships collided.

IHT.com PANAMA CITY: The Panama Canal moved a record 312.6 million tons of cargo in fiscal year 2007, a 5 percent increase over the year previous, officials said Tuesday. The cargo was carried by 14,721 ships, a 3.7 percent increase over the number of crossings in 2006. The canal closed out its fiscal year on Sept. 30. Officials this month announced that the canal had surpassed its previous cargo record of 293.3 million tons on Sept. 20 but the final tally wasn't released until Tuesday. The Panama Canal Authority estimates that the waterway will earn US$1.7 billion this year, nearly 206 million more than in 2006. On Sept. 3, officials broke ground on a new set of wider locks that will allow wider vessels to move between the Atlantic and Pacific, doubling the 50-mile (80-kilometer) waterway's capacity. The new locks will cost about US$5.25 billion (€3.7 billion) and are expected to be done by 2015.

DAVID LJUNGGREN - Reuters - OTTAWA — While there has been much talk that Arctic trade routes will open up as northern ice melts, shipping companies and experts say using the fabled Northwest Passage through Canada's Arctic archipelago would be too difficult, too dangerous and totally impractical. In theory, the idea is tempting – the passage cuts the distance between Europe and the Far East to just 7,900 nautical miles (14,630 kilometres), from 12,600 nautical miles (23,335 km) through the Panama Canal. Global warming means the summer ice cover in the Arctic is shrinking at such a rapid rate that experts predict the waters could be clear for at least part of the year within a few decades. Yet few predict vessels will steam through the passage in any great numbers. The highly unpredictable nature of Arctic ice, a total lack of infrastructure, narrow channels, relatively shallow waters, increased insurance costs and the unwillingness of firms to take risks are all deterrents. (more)

International Herald Tribune" - The Associated Press - PANAMA CITY, Panama: The Panama Canal moved a record 300 million tons of cargo in fiscal year 2007, officials said Tuesday. The record, set Sept. 20, surpassed the previous record of 293.3 million tons moved in the previous fiscal year, which ended on Oct. 1. Officials also registered a 3.7 percent jump in crossings, with 14,721 ships moving through the canal. "This demonstrates the growing demand for our services and the efficient operation of the oceanic waterway," the canal authority said in a news statement. The statistics came weeks after the canal inaugurated its biggest expansion project since it opened 93 years ago. On Sept. 3, officials broke ground on a new set of wider locks that will allow wider vessels to move between the Atlantic and Pacific, doubling the 50-mile (80-kilometer) waterway's capacity. The new locks will cost about US$5.25 billion (€3.7 billion) and are expected to be done by 2015.

PANAMA CITY, Panama, September 24, 2007 – Locomotives play a pivotal role in the operation of the Panama Canal locks. Last week, at a ceremony at Gatun Locks, the Canal marked the completion of its project to replace all of the towing tracks on which the locomotives travel. The Panama Canal's locomotive tow tracks run parallel to each side of the Canal's lock chambers. The tow tracks enable locomotive units or "mules" as they are called, to move alongside transiting vessels, affixed by wire cables, to maintain a ship's position during passage through Canal locks. Replacing the tracks, therefore, will increase the efficiency of transits at the Canal. (more)

PARIS (AP) — Arctic ice has shrunk to the lowest level on record, new satellite images show, raising the possibility that the Northwest Passage that eluded famous explorers will become an open shipping lane. The European Space Agency said nearly 200 satellite photos this month taken together showed an ice-free passage along northern Canada, Alaska and Greenland, and ice retreating to its lowest level since such images were first taken in 1978. The waters are exposing unexplored resources, and vessels could trim thousands of miles from Europe to Asia by bypassing the Panama Canal. The seasonal ebb and flow of ice levels has already opened up a slim summer window for ships. (more)

PANAMA CITY, Panama, August 15, 2007 – For the third time in the last 14 months, the Panama Canal tied its record for the total number of daily transits that have an overall length greater than 900 feet. Demonstrating its capability to manage the growing demand for its waterway, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) announced today that nine vessels with an overall length greater than 900 feet transited the Canal on Tuesday, August 7 – tying the record achieved in May 2006 and matched in April 2007. On average, 39 vessels transit the waterway each day and, of those, usually five vessels are greater than 900 feet. “Setting this record for the third time is evidence of the ACP’s hard work and dedication. Everyday, as demand continues to grow, we are increasing the efficiency and reliability of the waterway,” said ACP Vice President of Operations Manuel Benitez. “We are proud of this accomplishment and will continue to build upon our successes to provide the best service to our customers – which is our top priority.” (more)

By Julian Richardson for The Jamaica Observer - Just under two years after Jamaica and Maersk signed a five-year contract to use the Kingston Container Terminal as a regional trans-shipment hub, the Danish shipping line says it will drop direct calls to Jamaica, starting in October. The move is part of a reduction Maersk will implement on its weekly AC1 loop connecting ports in Japan, China and Korea with the Caribbean and Mexico. Under the new arrangement, Maersk will also drop direct calls to Manzanillo in Panama. "Maersk said the AC1 service will connect to the Caribbean markets from its continuing call at its Balboa, Panama, feeder hub," said a news story on the American Shipper website. "The change will allow the Danish line to reduce the number of vessels on the service from eight to seven." (more)