New Panama port tussle
Reuters reports China told Maersk and MSC to stop operating ports on the Panama Canal, adding a geopolitical layer to canal operations. A Hong Kong operator has opened arbitration over a terminal takeover, an El Niño watch raises water‑level risks, and vendor guides warn that pest finds or paperwork errors can trigger 48‑hour quarantines — all pieces cited in recent coverage. ( )
China has told Maersk and Mediterranean Shipping Company to stop operating two Panama Canal ports, widening a fight that had already moved from Panama’s courts to London arbitration. (ft.com) The Financial Times reported on April 15 that Beijing gave the order after Panamanian authorities pushed out Hong Kong-owned Panama Ports Company and installed APM Terminals, owned by Maersk, at Balboa and Terminal Investment Limited, tied to Mediterranean Shipping Company, at Cristobal under temporary 18-month licenses. (ft.com, lloydslist.com) Lloyd’s List reported China’s transport ministry summoned executives from both carriers on March 9, and industry sources tied the meeting to the late-February takeover of the two canal terminals. The same report said analysts did not expect immediate disruption to port operations. (lloydslist.com) Panama Ports Company, a unit of CK Hutchison, said on April 7 that it had started arbitration against Maersk in London. The company said Panama expelled it from port operations on February 23 and replaced it with new operators through what it called “extreme executive measures.” (ckh.com.hk) That legal fight sits on top of a climate risk the canal knows well. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center issued an El Niño Watch on April 9, saying El Niño is likely to emerge in May-July 2026 with a 61% chance and persist through at least the end of 2026. (cpc.ncep.noaa.gov) For the canal, El Niño usually means less rain over Gatun Lake, the reservoir that feeds the locks. GCaptain reported the 2023-2024 drought forced the canal down to as few as 24 daily transits and drafts below 44 feet before traffic recovered to roughly 36 daily transits and a full 50-foot Neopanamax draft. (gcaptain.com) Even when water levels are normal, ships can still lose time on paperwork and inspections. The Panama Canal Authority’s 2026 notices to shipping include a dedicated rulebook for the Panama Canal Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan, and canal compliance guides say vessels with 400 metric tons of oil capacity or more must file that local plan 96 hours before arrival. (pancanal.com, adimarships.com) Private service firms that handle canal calls say pest discoveries, quarantine orders and document errors can trigger delays measured in days, not hours. Panama Ship Service says an unexpected pest finding or regulatory misstep can bring quarantine and schedule losses, while Adimar says a clerical error in the oil-spill plan can bring fines and delay a transit. (panamashipservice.com, adimarships.com) So the canal’s latest port dispute is not just about who runs Balboa and Cristobal. It now spans Beijing pressure on carriers, a London contract case, a fresh El Niño watch, and a waterway where a missed filing can still stop a ship before it reaches the locks. (ft.com, ckh.com.hk, cpc.ncep.noaa.gov, pancanal.com)
