Jerry Salazar News

MOL hosted a party to celebrate the grand opening of its new Panama Vessel Operation Center in Panama City, Panama on December 9, 2003. Some of the guests in attendance included: Mr. Joaquin Jacome, Minister of Commerce; Mr. Jerry Salazar, Minister of Canal Affairs; and Mr. Shuji Shimokoji, Ambassador of Japan. Considering Panama to be one of the world’s key maritime centers, the company established MOL (Panama) Inc. in May 2003, which is responsible for handling all commercial activities for MOL’s liner division in Panama. The responsibilities of MOL (Panama) Inc. were increased last month when it was named a regional office in charge of managing the activities of MOL’s Caribbean and Central America shipping agents.

On January 27, 2004, in a formal ceremony at the Industrial Shipyard Division, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) inaugurated the first ship - an aluminum launch - that was entirely built by the hands of its employees on-site in Panama. The construction of the Launch in Panama helped to create new skill sets for ACP employees and to save money. Keeping with the ACP tradition of naming the boat after a fish, the Launch was christened the "Lenguado" or "Dover Sole" by Canal Administrator Alberto Alemán Zubieta…

President Mireya Moscoso of Panama made a final appointment for the post of Minister of State for Canal Affairs. Jerry Salazar, former director of the Panama Maritime Authority, has been appointed to the said position. Since the Canal Minister chairs the ACP board, Salazar will assume the Chairmanship of the Panama Canal Board of Directors. Salazar replaces Ricardo Martinelli, who resigned as Canal Affairs Minister in January. Salazar brings experience in developing and executing maritime policy. In 1989, he was appointed Director of the National Ports Authority, which eventually became the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP). As director of the AMP…

The Panama Canal services more than 140 different transportation routes from every corner of the globe and serves as a critical global link between commodities and consumers. The route linking the U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast with Asia is increasingly becoming the most important, representing a significant portion of the more than 13,000 vessels that traveled through the Canal in 2002. The United States, Japan and the People's Republic of China are the three largest users of the Canal. Sixty-eight percent of all Canal cargo originates from or is destined for the United States. These insights and more were shared by Jerry Salazar, chairman of the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) Board of Directors…