The Panama Canal Authority has published prequalification documents for the development of container terminals on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, formally launching the process to select future concessionaires for the projects.

Courtesy of The Panama Canal Authority

According to the authority, the two terminals are among its most strategic infrastructure initiatives and are intended to expand Panama’s national transhipment capacity to between 5 and 6m TEU per year. The prequalification documents, approved by the Canal’s board of directors, are available through the authority’s online procurement system and allow interested parties to submit documentation for assessment by a technical evaluation committee.

The publication also covers a separate energy corridor initiative, which includes the development of an approximately 76-km pipeline with access to terminals on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The Canal Authority said the pipeline is designed to transport liquefied petroleum gases and would operate independently of the Canal’s lock system. The publication coincides with the annulment of the concession extension for the ports operated by Panama Ports Company, a subsidiary of CK Hutchison, following a ruling by Panama’s Supreme Court. At a press conference on Friday, President Mulino said that ports in the country would continue operating without disruption, noting that APM Terminals has expressed its willingness to assume temporary operations of the two facilities.

The authority said the prequalification documents were finalised following an analysis and market engagement process led by its Complementary Business Committee. This included group briefings and bilateral meetings with maritime and energy sector stakeholders to test technical assumptions and refine the selection framework.

As part of the outreach for the container terminal projects, the authority held individual meetings with terminal operators and shipping lines, including APM Terminals, Cosco Shipping Ports, CMA Terminals, DP World, Hanseatic Global Terminals, PSA International, Terminal Investment Limited, SSA Marine–Grupo Carrix, ONE and Evergreen.

The board has also authorised the acquisition of land from the state, through the Ministry of Economy and Finance, to secure areas required for what the authority described as strategic intermodal and logistics developments. The container terminal and energy corridor projects form part of the Panama Canal Authority’s Strategic Vision 2025–2035, which the authority said aims to diversify services, strengthen operational resilience and reinforce Panama’s role as a global logistics hub.