(prensa.com) Transits through the Panama Canal will increase slightly next year due to the upturn in world trade. This, according to the administrator of the waterway, Alberto Alemán Zubieta.
“The first quarter of the [2011] fiscal year, which is set to end on Dec. 31, has been very positive and has recorded nearly 4 million tons more than what we had expected,” said the Canal administrator in a meeting with reporters.
According to Alemán Zubieta, for this fiscal year, which runs from Sept. 30 to Oct. 1, 2011, officials project traffic to the tune of 305 million tons of cargo, compared to the 300 million tons with which they ended the previous year.
“We have seen a surge [of trade], but we are still cautious, because there is a lot of turbulence in the world,” said the manager, who also highlighted the strength of Asian countries against the prevailing weakness in Europe and the United States.
Also highlighted as a factor in the evolving recovering of the global economy is the “strong recovery” that has been observed in the automobile industry, as well as soy, coal, and grain.
The official recalled that on Jan. 1, 2011, a toll increase – “acknowledged and understood by the shipping industry” – will enter into force.