Panama Canal Authority Set to Announce Companies Selected to Compete for Two Port Terminals.
The Panama Canal will announce before the end of 2026 the companies prequalified to build and operate two new container terminals, projects that represent an estimated investment of $2.6 billion.
The administrator of the interoceanic waterway, Ilya Espino de Marotta, confirmed that the initial proposals have already been evaluated and that the selected participants will move on to a new stage of the bidding process.
During his speech at the International Maritime Conference in Houston, held on November 4, Espino explained that companies that pass the prequalification will receive a formal request for proposals.
According to Reuters and Bloomberg, potential bidders include shipping companies Maersk and Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), although it has not yet been confirmed which companies will be included in the final list. The schedule presented by the administrator anticipates that the concessions could be awarded by mid-2027, while the new facilities would begin operations between 2030 and 2031.
The initiative seeks to increase container transshipment capacity in Panama, where existing port infrastructure faces limitations in absorbing increased demand from international maritime trade. The terminals will be located in Corozal, on the Pacific coast, and Telfers, on the Atlantic coast, with a combined projected capacity of between five and six million twenty-foot containers (TEU) per year.
The port investments are part of an $8.5 billion logistics and energy expansion program through which the Panama Canal Authority intends to diversify its activities.
