On Tuesday, September 15, the Maritime, Logistics and Port Forum 2026 took place, a meeting that brought together representatives from the public and private sectors to analyze the challenges and opportunities that Panama faces in the future of global trade. Under the theme “Panama facing the future of global trade: connectivity, investment and innovation”, the forum addressed the main challenges to strengthen the country’s position as a regional maritime and logistics hub.
The event featured opening remarks by Ilya Espino de Marotta pictured above, administrator of the Panama Canal. Espino de Marotta stated that the goal is to guarantee the operability and reliability of the route amidst a landscape full of internal and external challenges, including geopolitical tensions that have disrupted supply chains. “The canal can handle additional traffic without compromising reliability. Therefore, the Rio Indio lake project is the first step towards guaranteeing traffic, ensuring water for the population, and facilitating increased cargo movement,” stated Espino de Marotta.
The engineer described the four projects they are carrying out: the Indio River reservoir, the logistics corridor, the two port terminals, and the energy corridor with the gas pipeline. “When we have the pre-qualified companies for the ports, we will publish the bidding documents,” she said, noting that they are coordinating with other authorities to ensure port development is in line with the country’s plans. She stated that in both specific decisions such as reducing transit and draft, as well as in new projects, communication with clients has been key and will continue to be so throughout the process. During the day, discussions took place on strategic issues for the competitiveness and development of the sector, including:
+ Maritime competitiveness and national vision.
+ Port infrastructure and sustainability.
+ Digital transformation and logistics innovation.
The meeting attempted to foster a space for analysis on the decisions, investments and new technologies that can shape Panama’s course within global trade chains.
Audio transcript
Your browser does not support the audio element.
00:00
/
02:19
