Alberto Aleman News

Dr. Ricaurte Vásquez Morales was sworn-in during a ceremony held at the Panama Canal Administration Building in Panama City, becoming the fourth Panamanian Administrator of the waterway shortly before it celebrates its 20th year under Panamanian administration on December 31, 2019.Administrator Vásquez an economist with more than 30 years’ experience in the public and private sector said: "Just a few months short of the 20th anniversary of the transfer of the Canal to the Panamanian people, we face a distinctly different reality today. Trade now travels along different routes.""This new global reality, in which the Canal operates, requires us to redefine and adapt our business.

The Panama Canal Board of Directors announced the appointment of Ricaurte Vasquez as the next Panama Canal Administrator.According to a press note from the artificial 82 km waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean, Vasquez will take office on September 4, 2019, succeeding current Administrator Jorge L. Quijano, who concludes his seven-year term at the helm of the waterway.The decision was made by the Board of Directors in accordance to an independent, transparent and rigorous process mandated by the Panamanian Constitution and Organic Law of the Panama Canal Authority."As part of the Panama Canal Authority's autonomous institutional process…

Panama and China opened free trade talks on Monday with the aim of crafting an agreement that could turn the Central American country into a hub for Chinese goods across Latin America.Panama’s Minister for Trade and Industry Augusto Arosemena said the first round of talks would last until Friday, July 13, and establish the basis for the rest of the negotiation.Traditionally close to Washington because the U.S.

Panama City, Panama – The first-ever Panama Canal 2012 International Engineering and Infrastructure Congress, to be held April 18-20 in Panama City, will bring together technical experts and infrastructure leaders to share best practices for project delivery, risk management, and financing. CH2M HILL Chairman and CEO Lee McIntire will be one of the keynote speakers, as will ACP Administrator Alberto Aleman Zubieta and Steve Stockton from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineering. McIntire will discuss the essential problem-solving role of engineers and highlight the company's approach to program management on some of the world's largest infrastructure projects.

With more than 60 percent of Panama Canal traffic originating from or traveling to the East Coast of the United States, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) announced a historic move to boost trade by striking a strategic alliance with the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport). The alliance will increase cooperation -- such as joint marketing -- between the Panama Canal and the Port of Boston; it will also seek to boost trade along the "All-Water Route," the route from Asia to America's East Coast via the Panama Canal. Today's event between the ACP and Massport, held at the Exchange Conference Center, was highlighted by a formal signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by the Canal Administrator…

The Panama Canal Authority released a formal proposal to change its pricing structure to move toward a market-oriented business model that allows for greater customer service and continual improvements to the Canal. As global trade continues to expand, the shipping industry has evolved significantly and the Canal's 90-year-old pricing structure needs to be changed to meet the increasing demands of a dynamic market place. "This historic shift in our business model is the first step toward changing the long-standing, one-size-fits-all pricing structure and replace it with a system that is more tailored to individual customer needs," said Alberto Aleman Zubieta, the Canal Administrator.

The Cabinet Council of Panama voted to approve a two-phase increase in Panama Canal tolls. The first phase, an average increase of approximately 8 percent, will be implemented on October 1, 2002; the second phase, consisting of an average increase of 4.5 percent, will take effect in July 2003. The Cabinet Council characterized the new pricing structure, which was proposed by the ACP, as an innovative move toward a customized toll system that is based on vessel type and tonnage and will allow for a permanent modernization program for the Canal. In a further effort to address the specific needs of individual Canal customers, the Council approved a locomotive charge of $200.00 per wire.

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) signed the Global Compact, an initiative that promotes Corporate Social Responsibility in the private sector worldwide. The Global Compact has the endorsement and strong support of United Nations (UN) Secretary General, Kofi Annan. Canal Administrator Alberto Aleman Zubieta said: "We at the ACP are honored to be a part of this historic initiative. For nearly one hundred years, the Panama Canal has been bringing nations closer together through commerce. UN Resident Coordinator Elizabeth Fong joined ACP Administrator Alberto Alemán Zubieta at the signing ceremony held in the Panama Canal Authority's Administration Building.

Panama President Mireya Moscoso welcomed two new tugboats to the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) fleet, both purchased at a cost of $10,768,794. The new units, named Herrera and Los Santos, are made of state-of-the-art technology, and include emergency response equipment and improved operational facilities. Canal Administrator Alberto Aleman Zubieta stated: “ The addition of two tugboats, Herrera and Los Santos, are part of the Canal’s permanent modernization program geared towards providing our customers with the best service for their transit through the Canal. High- quality customer service is our first priority and these new tugboats are another example of this commitment.

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) released results from first quarter operations that show traffic on the Canal has increased both in terms of ships and Panama Canal Universal Measurement System (PC/UMS) tonnage and that vessels are moving more quickly through the Canal and with fewer accidents than a year ago. These improvements are based on operations from October through December of 2002, the first quarter of the ACP's fiscal year 2003. During the first quarter of FY2003, the Canal continued to improve its safety record, reducing maritime accidents by 33.3 percent with only four accidents -- compared to six for the same period last year.

As heads of state gather in Panama for Dec. 14 ceremonies in advance of the transfer of the Panama Canal on the Dec. 31, the small Caribbean nation of 2.8 million prepares to step out of Washington's shadow. Since the U.S.S. Nashville guaranteed Panama's independence from Colombia in 1903, the U.S. has maintained a military garrison in Panama and kept administrative control of the canal it built across the isthmus. For decades, Panamanian nationalists rallied to the cry of "one flag, one territory," calling the 10-mile (16 km)-wide U.S.-controlled Canal Zone a "stake through the nation's heart." But when that stake finally comes out at noon on Dec. 31 and the 50-mile (82 km) waterway passes to Panama's control, it will wake up to the challenge of full nationhood.

The Panama Canal will be run as a competitive business for the benefit of the Panamanian people after it reverts to national control at year's end, the waterway's administrator said. "The Canal was run before on a break-even concept, like a public utility," Panama Canal Commission (PCC) administrator Alberto Aleman Zubieta told a lunch for members of the American Chamber of Commerce. "But it will be run on the corporate concept of profitability ... for the 2.7 million Panamanians who will be its owners." Panama will become owner and operator of the canal at noon on Dec. 31, when the U.S. hands over the waterway as agreed in a 1977 treaty.