b'16American Journal ofTransportation ajot.comWater and the Panama Canal? LATIN AMERICA TRADE BI-ANNUALA new normal is settling in for the Panama Canal asthelow-watercrisisfadesandbusinessas usual returns. But what is the real state of affairs ofthePanamaCanal,LatinAmericasgreatest economic engine?By George Lauriat, AJOTIt is a mere 40-miles shore- ocean to the other. It has been line-to-shorelineinlength,an asset of such dependability yetitisthemostimpor- that it is easy to forget what tanttransportationcorridoran engineering feat it was to intheAmericas,Northandbuild this route and the effort South, handling an estimatednecessarytomaintainit.It $440 billion in freight annu- isclearfromourmeetings ally. Thats the legacy of thethat the Panamanians want to Panama Canal.maintain the viability of the But as the Panama CanalPanama Canal and are identi-emergesfromthelow-waterfying what options they have crisis and a new normal set- forimprovingitsresiliency tles in, the question emergesandreliability.Rainfallhas what is the real forecast for thealleviatedsomeofthemost Canal? What does the futureimmediate challenges plagu-holdforLatinAmericasingthePanamaCanal,but greatest economic engine? (WATERcontinued on The Canal has been a bigpage 18)revenue producer for the Pan-amanian government, even in thedroughtyears.Backin 2019 FY the Canal reported $3.213billioninrevenues andinthe2023droughtRELIABLE SHIPPINGperiod the revenue was even higher at $4.968 billion. And in FY 2023 the Panama CanalFROM JACKSONVILLE TO SAN JUANcontributedawhopping $2.545 billion to the Panama treasuryandoverall,the waterwaydirectlyaccounts for 3.1% of the nations GDP.BackinlateJuly,Fed-eralMaritimeCommission (FMC)ChairmanDanielB. MaffeiandCommissioner LouisE.Solavisitedto Panamatoassesshowthe conditionsatthePanama CanalwereimpactingUS shippers. Maffei and his col-leagues met with Jose Ramn IcazaClment,Ministerof Canal Affairs at the Panama MinistryofCanalAffairs, RicaurteCatinVasquez Morales,Administratorof thePanamaCanalAuthor-ity(ACP),LuisRoquebert, Administrator of the Panama Maritime Authority and Juan CarlosNavarro,Ministerof Ambiente(Environment)to appraisetheimpactsofthe drought on Canal operations and get a first-hand sense of the long-term solutions to the periodic problem of drought and low water.From food and TheFMCsconcernforpharmaceuticals to US freight interests is under-standable.Intermsofdes- electronics and the vehicles tinationandorigin,theUSon the road, imported goods are accountedfornearly208.8essential to the people of Puerto million long tons of PanamaRico.Canal freighteasily making the US the number 1 partner.TOTE is proud to provide the trades best-In comparison, China was ain-class experience to our customers as we distant number 2 at 64.4 mil- partner to deliver on our shared commitment lion long tons.AsMaffeiexplainedto the island.inhissummationofthe trip,In1914,thePanama CanalrevolutionizedtradeDEDICATED. RELIABLE. BUILT TO SERVE. 877.775.7447 TOTEMARITIME.COMandnavigationintheWest-ernHemisphere.Formore than a century it has made it easierandmoreeconomical for ships to transit from one'