Panama Reduces Ship Detentions in Chinese Ports After Bilateral Negotiations

Conversations between authorities from the Governments of Panama and China have yielded their first results, achieving a significant decrease in detentions for control of Panamanian-flagged ships in ports of the Asian country, with statistics dropping from 140 in May to only 16 during the current month. The data is provided by Tokyo MOU statistics which also reflect only a 10% percentage of inspections with detention for the current month (July), in relation to an escalation that began in March with 21%; April, 35%; May, 37%; and June, 25%, in mainland China ports. This important downward trend occurs amidst negotiations for the renewal of the China-Panama Maritime Transport Agreement, where consensus was reached for its reform and to maintain a harmonious bilateral relationship on port and merchant issues that will produce port advantages and more agile procedures. The Government of Panama has maintained an optimistic outlook for the improvement in the treatment conditions for national-flagged vessels, one of the largest merchant fleets in the world, achieving a de-escalation in the inspection with detention of ships.