Latin America’s ‘first smart city’ arrives
- March 15th, 2017
Source: Raconteur
Connections are vital to the City of Panama. It is not just the bridge between North and South America, it is also capital of a country best known for the 48-mile canal that bisects the Central American nation and is a key facilitator of global trade.
Now the city is also looking to improve its land-based connectivity and join the global movement towards smarter cities. In part, becoming a smart city is about installing various technological solutions, but there is more to it than that, according to the city’s mayor.
“A city is smart if it can solve the basic problems of those living in it, if it guarantees sustainable human development,” says mayor José Blandon Figueroa. “Having technology, thousands of sensors everywhere and two phones per person, does not make a smart city if all that technology is not focused on ensuring better living conditions for people with equity.”
With the city host to Central America’s first metro system, which is in the process of being extended, the first steps have been taken to reduce Panama’s notoriously congested traffic. As part of its smart city programme, the authorities have recently installed free wireless internet access points, including dozens at bus stops to give travellers information about the city and their journey.
Panama Canal to launch state-of-the-art vessel scheduling and maritime resources management system
- March 16th, 2017
Source: Hellenic Shipping News
Quintiq, a Dassault Systèmes brand and global leader in supply chain planning and optimization (SCP&O), announced today that its software has been selected by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) to plan, schedule and optimize all vessels transit operations through the Canal to reduce costs, improve safety and increase overall efficiency and reliability.
“For more than a century, the Panama Canal has enjoyed a proud legacy of innovation,” said Panama Canal Administrator Jorge L. Quijano. “This system will help carry that legacy forward, allowing us to tap the potential of technology to provide better solutions for our customers as we increasingly manage more transits and adapt to shifts in global trade.”
The Quintiq solution will transform how the Panama Canal plans and schedules transit operations. For the first time, the Canal will be able to execute a completely integrated operating plan for all of its critical resources, including tugboats, pilots and line handlers. Improved situational awareness and data can inform better decision-making, which in turn will help mitigate operational risk. Further, Quintiq will help reduce costs by optimizing the way in which the Canal plans and programs its resources.
Ship Photos – 1,000 Vessels Through the Expanded Panama Canal
- March 20th, 2017
Source: qcaptain
The Panama Canal has marked the 1000th Neopanamax vessel to use the waterway since the inauguration of the Expanded Canal less than nine months ago.
On Sunday, March 19, Mediterranean Shipping Company’s containership MSC Anzu made the milestone transit heading northbound from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean as part of a new service linking Europe, the United States, and the west coast South America.
The 1000th transit is a significant milestone for the Expanded Canal, which has been experiencing a steady flow of traffic since its inauguration in June 2016. As of March 2017, the average number of Neopanamax vessels transiting the new lane per day is 5.9, says the Panama Canal Authority (ACP).
Port of Palm Beach extends alliance with the Panama Canal Authority
- March 22nd, 2017
Source: Palm Beach Post
The Port of Palm Beach in Riviera Beach and the Panama Canal Authority have extended their strategic alliance for another five years.
The original Memorandum of Understanding was executed in a ceremony held at the Canal Authority’s headquarters in Panama City, Panama on Dec. 9, 2009.
“Through our partnership with the Panama Canal Authority, we have continued cooperative to share commercial intelligence,” said Manuel Almira, the port’s executive director. “We are very pleased to extend this alliance, especially now that the Panama Canal is experiencing considerable growth, setting new daily tonnage records in February for the third consecutive month.”
Las previsiones de la economía siguen siendo favorables
- 16 de Marzo de 2017
Fuente: Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas
En la declaración de cierre de su visita a Panamá, el Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI) indicó que las perspectivas de crecimiento del país siguen siendo favorables y que la economía se destacará como una de las más dinámicas de la región.
De acuerdo con las proyecciones del FMI, la economía crecerá 5.1% y, cerca del 5.5%, en el mediano plazo, con el apoyo del Canal ampliado y los proyectos de inversión, señaló Valerie Cerra, jefa de la misión del Fondo.
El Ministro de Economía y Finanzas, Dulcidio De La Guardia, indicó que Panamá está creciendo aunque el entorno macro económico externo, de los últimos años, haya impactado el crecimiento debido a su economía abierta.
Para 2017 se prevé un entorno internacional más favorable, puntualizó el Ministro. “Esto debe generar una mayor demanda de los bienes y servicios que exporta Panamá y debemos tener este año, por lo menos en opinión del MEF, un repunte en el crecimiento económico respecto al año pasado”, agregó. El Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas proyecta un crecimiento del PIB de 5.8% para 2017.