The Cabinet Council of the Government of the Panama has approved the modifications to the waterway's toll structure and the admeasurement regulations for passenger ships, following a recommendation from the Panama Canal Board of Directors, according to the company's release.
The proposal eliminates the billing unit on a per berth basis and establishes the tolls for all passenger vessels based on PC/UMS (Panama Canal Universal Measurement System) capacity.
“Passenger vessels are gradually returning to the waterway, and this modification aims to return to a standardized and simplified toll structure based on PC/UMS capacity,” said Panama Canal Administrator Ricaurte Vásquez Morales.
The proposed tolls modifications were officially announced on September 1, 2021. This initiated a formal 30-day consultation period, which concluded in a public hearing held on October 5, 2021, to ensure all interested parties could provide feedback for consideration.
The approved modifications will be implemented on February 1, 2022.