Panama Canal signs MoUs with Panama Ports Company and PSA Panama International Terminal to optimize supply routes for COVID-19 vaccine distribution
The Panama Canal has signed memorandums of Understanding with Panama Ports Company (PPC) and PSA Panama International Terminal (PSA Panama) to help optimize supply routes for the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine and supplies to Latin America, the company said in its release.
Panama's logistics capabilities and strategic location at the crossroads of the Americas make it uniquely positioned to assist in meeting the demand imposed on supply chains by the worldwide pandemic.
As part of the agreement, the Panama Canal, PPC and PSA Panama have agreed to undertake joint initiatives to establish an alliance of cooperation and explore working together to form a logistic hub on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal for the storage and distribution of the vaccine and supplies for the region.
The Panama Canal will look into the development of additional facilities to store and/or break-bulk vaccine cargoes, as well as power sources or redundancies and connection roads to both terminals on the Pacific side.
PSA Panama and PPC will cooperate with the design and equipment necessary to transport the containers with the vaccine between the terminals and the facilities. The ports will also provide operational expertise to explore their current terminal’s capacities to handle increased refrigerated containers.
