It would have been quite a blast. Today the new increases in tariffs for transit in the Panama Canal should have taken effect, ranging from a minimum cost per booking of the passage of 20 thousand dollars (+ 57%) to a maximum increase of 58,500 dollars (+ 167%) . The changes had recently been communicated by the Panama Canal Authority, which had justified them as an adjustment of supply and demand. The canal is subjected to heavy traffic: about 14 thousand passages a year (2020 figure).
The communication from the Authority was followed by a letter from the International Chamber of Shipping, the Asian Shipowners ‘Association and the European Community Shipowners’ Association, stigmatizing the increases communicated too quickly. The Canal Authority accepted the request and postponed the increases to June 1, 2021. “The increases represent a significant increase in costs, especially considering the ongoing economic impact of the pandemic – says ICS Secretary General Guy Platten – . The postponement gives us a way to prepare. At the same time, we ask the Authority for a meeting to develop a long-term pricing strategy, so as to provide the shipping industry with predictability of transit costs ”.