Panama Canal Authority (ACP) statistics for the first quarter (Q1) of its fiscal year 2010 show more ships used the waterway and Canal Waters Time (CWT), the average time it takes a vessel to transit the Canal (including waiting time for passage), significantly decreased.

Total Canal transits increased 2%, to 3,590 transits. Transits of supers, larger ships that require greater time and navigation skills to transit the Canal, increased 8.1% , to 2,026 transits. CWT decreased 27.5% to 20.29 hours. Dry bulker and tanker transits increased fewer containerships, refrigerated cargo vessels and vehicle carriers used the canal. “In the first quarter of 2010, we saw an increase in a few key areas – particularly tonnage and transits – which point to a global economy slowly, but surely, recovering,” said ACP Executive Vice President of Operations Manuel Benítez. “We will go into the remainder of fiscal year 2010 with slightly positive projections and expect sluggish shipping segments to show some recovery.”

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• Transit time via the Panama Canal to show one years from the previous year 27.5 percent decline in the 1st Quarter of fiscal year

    The Panama Canal Authority reported a 27.5 drop (20.29 hr) in the transit time rate the ships spent passing through the canal (Canal Waters Time) for Q1 2010 fiscal year (October-December), as compared with the same period in 2009. The CWT numbers also showed a 20.7 percent decline in transit

• Panama Canal Authority Releases Fiscal Year 2010 First Quarter Metrics

    The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) released first quarter (Q1) operational metrics today for fiscal year 2010. In Q1, Canal Waters Time (CWT), the average time it takes a vessel to transit the Canal (including waiting time for passage) significantly decreased. There also were increases in total transits and net tonnage.

• January Suez Canal traffic up year on year

    There was an increase in traffic through the Suez Canal in January compared to the same month last year. Statistics released by the Suez Canal Authority showed there were 1,418 vessel transits last month, up some 8% against January 2009

• Strike in the ports of Panama

    Employees of tug operator Smit Panama have announced a strike to start from 0800 hours local time Monday, December 14. Smit Panama is said to be in discussions to secure an agreement with its employees as soon as possible.

• Gazprom says no, expect New Year s gas conflict

    The chief of Russia’s energy giant Gazprom pledged uninterrupted natural gas supplies to Europe on Friday, saying no more New Year conflicts are expected. “I hope we will see the New Year in at home, we have sufficient grounds to expect that. Contracts have been signed and are in effect,

• MSC Revises Golden Gate Loop Include Norfolk

     Mediterranean Shipping Co. said it will add calls at Norfolky to the revised port rotation of its Golden Gate Service from Asia via the Suez Canal. As part of the change, the service will no longer call the Port of Savannah and Port Everglades. MSC deploys 12 vessels of 6,050 20-foot equivalent

• MSCs Golden Gate Services Makes First Call Charleston

     Mediterranean Shipping Company’s “Golden Gate Service” made its inaugural call Thursday at the Port of Charleston, when the first vessel in the service to call Charleston, the MSC Rita, arrived overnight. The MSC Rita was working at the Port of Charleston’s Wando Welch Terminal before sailing to Freeporty in the Bahamas

• CMA CGM adds Singapore to PEX 3

     CMA CGM said it is adding a call at the Port of Singapore to its round-the-world PEX 3 service. The service goes from Asia to the U.S. Gulf and East coasts via the Panama Canal, then transits the Suez Canal on the return leg to Asia. The French carrier said it is

• Panama vows to implement road toll costs

    The administrator of the Panama Canal has vowed to press ahead with a programme of steep toll increases despite complaints that they are aggravating the shipping market crisis. Alberto Aleman Zubieta told the Financial Times that traffic through the canal, which links the Pacific and Atlantic oceans via an 80km

• Costa Rica company to join the consortium digging the Panama Canal expansion

    Costa Rica’s Meco will be joining the Spanish construction company FCC and Mexico’s ICA as part of a consortium for the dry excavation of the Panama Canal extension in a contract worth us$267.8 million dollars. The consortium beat out Belgium’s Jan de Nul, Brazil’s Oderbrecht and the ISC Panama consortium

• MSC adds three 8,000-TEU vessels to Asia-US East Coast via Suez run

    Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) plans to temporarily assign three ships in the 8,000 TEU class on its Golden Gate Service (GGS) between Asia and US east coast via Suez. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANY-NJ) said the additional ships will set a record for container vessels

• Does not add tolls to the shipping crisis, says Panama

    The administrator of the Panama Canal has vowed to press ahead with a programme of steep toll increases despite complaints that they are aggravating the shipping market crisis. Alberto Alem?n Zubieta told the Financial Times that traffic through the canal, which links the Pacific and Atlantic oceans via an 80km

• Large ships, the U.S. East Coast

     ?? Mediterranean Shipping Co. said it will deploy several ships of about 8,000 TEUs in its trans-Suez Golden Gate Service (GGS) between Asia and the U.S

• Large ships, the U.S. East Coast

     ?? Mediterranean Shipping Co. said it will deploy several ships of about 8,000 TEUs in its trans-Suez Golden Gate Service (GGS) between Asia and the U.S

• Panama Canal Expansion Groundbreaking

    Panama The Panama Canal, completed in 1914, is perhaps the greatest engineering feat of all time. Man, A Plan, A Canal Panama, is perhaps the greatest palindrome of all time. And now, the $5.2 billion canal-expansion project, which just broke ground and is scheduled to be completed in time to