PMA Among First to Use PurpleTrac

The Panama Maritime Authority (PMA) has become the first port state to use Pole Star’s PurpleTRAC sanctions compliance and risk management service as part of its wider port risk management strategy and as a precaution against the outbreak of Ebola.

As part of the PMA’s risk management strategy, all ships intending to enter a Panamanian port are required to post arrival data via their agent into the PMA’s system. In an enhancement to that process, the PMA will use PurpleTRAC to screen port arrivals and Panama Canal transits to ensure compliance against a comprehensive range of economic sanctions and blacklisted ports. Crucially, PurpleTRAC will also provide Ebola-risk warnings for any ships that have visited countries where the World Health Organisation (WHO) deems the outbreak of Ebola severe - currently the West African countries of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

Where a vessel is found to have called at any of these countries within the last 90 days, an automatic system/operator alert will trigger an enhanced ship inspection by the PMA, the Panama Coast Guard and the Ministry of Health. Panama receives approximately 9,000 ship port calls per year