Rodolfo Sabonge News

Has the Panama Canal expansion already outgrown itself? How does the success or failure of the administration's export initiative impact your bottom line? Breakbulk is flourishing; what does that mean to your business? These questions and other hot topics will be the focal point of the Containerization & Intermodal Institute's one-day seminar in Houston on June 20th at the Houston Marriott North. The program will commence with lunch at 11:30 a.m. and will be followed by two panels, adjourning at 5 p.m. Michael Masserman, Executive Director for Export Policy, Promotion & Strategy, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, is the luncheon speaker.

Panama City, Panama, May 14, 2013 – Maersk Line CEO Søren Skou visited the Panama Expansion construction site accompanied by Panama Canal Administrator Jorge L. Quijano during his recent trip to Panama. Skou and other Maersk Line executives had the opportunity to see the construction site of the new locks in the Atlantic side, which will allow the transit of Post-Panamax vessels through the Panama Canal. During the visit, Panama Canal Administrator Jorge Luis Quijano updated the delegation on the progress of the expansion program.

The Containerization & Intermodal Institute (CII) organized seminar focuses on the Panama Canal, the update on U. S. export initiatives and breakbulk shipping. Michael Masserman, Executive Director for Export Policy, Promotion & Strategy, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, and Rodolfo Sabonge , Vice President of Market Research and Analysis, Panama Canal Authority, are confirmed an luncheon and keynote speakers, respectively. The luncheon will be followed by panel discussions among major shippers, ocean carriers, freight forwarders, railroads and Port of Houston officials. This is the second seminar to be held by the Containerization & Intermodal Institute after last year's  successful "Doubling U.S. Exports—a Reality Check" event in Chicago.

The assumption that trade conditions and infrastructure will drive future transportation changes will be the overriding theme at the sixth annual American Association of Port Authorities’ (AAPA) “Shifting International Trade Routes” workshop in Tampa, Fla., Jan. 24-25, 2013. The 1½-day program, which is being cosponsored by the U.S. Maritime Administration and hosted by the Tampa Port Authority, will address the range of issues related to dynamic, global and hemispheric trade.

TOC Events Worldwide announced the addition of more industry executives as speakers at the upcoming 8th TOC Americas Conference and Exhibition, taking place November 18-20 at the Long Beach Convention Centre, CA, USA. Dave Sanborn, Senior Vice President and Managing Director Americas Region for DP World, will share the global terminal operator’s views on terminal investment and development against the backdrop of the world financial crisis, including a perspective on investment frameworks and public-private sector relations. Mr. Sanborn joined DP World in May 2005 following senior management positions with CMA CGM, American President Lines and Sea-Land Service, Inc. Mr.

Panamanian Ambassador to the U.S. Federico Humbert addresses workshop attendees. Briefing a crowd of nearly 200 U.S. port and shipping officials at a Panama Canal expansion workshop last week in Tampa, FL, Panama Canal Authority (ACP) Vice President of Research and Market Analysis Rodolfo Sabonge highlighted the Canal project’s progress and its effect on global trade. The forum also emphasized the benefits and importance of U.S. port development in meeting the anticipated demands of an expanded waterway. Co-sponsored by the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) and the U.S.

The Panama Canal is nearing full capacity and should seriously consider expansion to continue to be a major player in world trade, according to maritime experts and Canal customers at the Panama Maritime VII Conference, held February 20-23. Participating in the event were Panamanian President Martin Torrijos, Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Efthimios Mitropoulos, and several representatives of the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), including Administrator/CEO Alberto Alemán Zubieta. For the past two years, the ACP has commissioned research and studies related to the Canal’s modernization and the future of the maritime industry, including whether to expand the waterway. At this time, a final decision on whether to expand the Canal has not been made.