Are the US Warships in Panama on a ‘Courtesy Visit’ ?

Panama Canal Deputy Administrator Ilya Espino de Marotta downplayed the presence of U.S. Armed Forces vessels in Panamanian waters, clarifying that it was “a routine visit.”  “This has been going on forever; it’s nothing new or different. It’s just a courtesy visit, like other times,” Marotta said.  He emphasized that the country not only receives ships from the United States Navy, but also ships from other navies and training ships.  He also commented that he does not have a date for the ship’s transit through the interoceanic canal, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. 

The ship, with maritime identification number 369867000, is located opposite the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal, in the capital’s bay, and is heading in an unknown direction, according to a maritime tracker.  Another U.S. military ship, the USS Lake Erie, crossed the Panama Canal last Friday, as the U.S. has deployed missile-equipped military vessels and a nuclear-powered submarine to areas of the Caribbean Sea near the Venezuelan coast to combat drug trafficking. The deputy administrator’s statements were made at a forum at the University of Panama on the progress of the Río Índio project, which she considers very important for the supply of drinking water and the competitiveness of the Panama Canal.