MIT PANAMA
INAUGURATES NEW EXPANSION WORKS
Colon, Panama (May
8th, 2007) – Manzanillo
International Terminal – Panama,
S.A. (MIT) inaugurated today a
new
administration building, new berths
and container yards within the
expansion program of the Port of
Manzanillo,
with the presence of the President
of the Republic of Panama, Martin
Torrijos, the Secretary of Transport
of the United States, Mary E. Peters
and government officials.
The
recently completed expansion phase
of MIT, at a cost of $100 million,
included building a 400-meter long
container
berth, a landing ramp and a
Roll-On/Roll-Off berth for vessels
up to 300-meter long, pavement of 17
acres
(7 hectares) for container storage,
purchase and delivery of 6 new
gantry cranes (including 3 super
post-Panamax), purchase and delivery
of container handling equipment
(including rubber-tyred gantry
cranes, yard hustlers,
top-picks and side-picks), as well
as the complete refurbishment of its
new administration building. This
new
building includes state-of-the-art
information and communication
systems for internal and external
date exchange.
Annual handling capacity of the
terminal has thus been expanded from
1.5 million TEUs to 2.2 million
TEUs.
"We
are proud of these new facilities,
product of local investment, which
will further help consolidate Panama’s
position
as the most important logistics
center in the area", said
President Torrijos. Secretary Peters
added: "People
throughout the world rely on Panama
for the products they use everyday.
The expansion of the Port of Manzanillo
will go a long way in helping expand
capacity at this terminal and get
these goods to the people who
depend
on them"
"We are very
pleased to inaugurate this phase of
our expansion program, thus
fulfilling our port investment
commitments,
which will help MIT maintain its
status as the premier transshipment
hub in the region", said
Carlos
Urriola, MIT’s General Manager.
"The amount invested in the
terminal comes along the execution
of our Corporate
Social program, especially focused
on health and education in the
province of Colon. We are very
confident
of future volume growth, and ready
to continue investing in MIT and in
a future terminal on the Pacific
side of
Panama", added Urriola.
Other
recent investments in the terminal
include the implementation of new
information technology solutions,
such as
Traffic Control system, for
real-time container inventory update
and improved container handling
equipment
utilization, and a reefer container
remote-monitoring system.
About MIT
MIT is the largest
container transshipment terminal in
Latin America, handling over 1.3
million TEUs in 2006.
MIT
is a joint-venture between Carrix
Inc., and the Motta and Heilbron
families of Panama. Carrix Inc.’s
principal
operating division, SSA Marine, is
the largest marine terminal
operator, stevedore and rail
terminal operator
in the United States. Carrix Inc. is
a privately-owned company with
headquarters in Seattle, Washington.
For
more information, please contact
Jaime Sasso at (507) 430-9804 or by
email at jaime.sasso@mitpan.com.
Tel:
(507) 430-9809 / 9900 • Fax: (507)
430-9809 • www.mitpan.com •
Apartado 0302-00239, Zona Libre de
Colón, Colón • República de
Panamá Avenida
Molten, Coco Solo Sur, Ciudad de
Colón
