Notarc Management Group, a Latin America-focused investment firm, is partnering with a unit of Mediterranean Shipping Company to take over construction of the $1.4 billion Panama Canal Container Port.
The facility, which is expected to handle 5 million 20-foot equivalent units, or TEUs, is 40% complete with construction expected to resume in the fourth quarter, according to a statement, without disclosing additional details. A consortium led by China’s Landbridge began work on the project in mid 2017, but the concession was revoked last year over non-compliance.
The Panama Canal is gaining more importance than ever as a strategic shipping corridor given the supply-chain disruptions triggered by the pandemic and exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and strict lockdowns in China. While the planet’s supply-chain issues have roiled industries and hit consumers with higher costs, shippers are raking in record profits.
In addition to the container facility, Notarc also signed a memorandum of understanding to build a bioenergy facility in Colon, Panama, with US-based SGP BioEnergy.