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Monrovia NSU CHALLENGER bulk carrier transits the expanded canal through Cocoli Locks at the Panama Canal, on the outskirts of Panama City, Panama April 19, 2023. REUTERS/Aris Martinez/File PhotoPANAMA CITY, Aug 10 (Reuters) - The drought-hit Panama Canal has temporarily limited the number of new reserved passage slots to help ease a bottleneck of ships that are waiting to transit without reservations, the waterway's authority said on Thursday. The canal, however, in June postponed further restrictions that would have required ships to lighten their loads to more easily pass. The bottleneck of vessels waiting to pass, however, has grown, prompting logistics and supply chain experts to predict more disruptions. Still, the bottleneck will not fall as hard on shippers as pandemic-era mishaps, including the Suez Canal blockage in 2021, according to shipping firms and customers.

Persons: Aris Martinez, Ricaurte Vasquez, Anatol Feygin, Rolf Habben Jansen, Lloyd, Elida Moreno, Marianna Parraga, Lisa Baertlein, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Monrovia NSU CHALLENGER, REUTERS, PANAMA CITY, Reuters, El, El Nino, Walmart, Cheniere Energy, Thomson Locations: Cocoli, Panama, Panama City, China, El, Suez

☆ Panama blasts Colombia for inaction on Darien Gap migrants
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Elida Moreno | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PANAMA CITY, Aug 4 (Reuters) - The head of Panama's migration agency lashed out at Colombia on Friday, slamming its southern neighbor for failure to help control the flow of mostly U.S.-bound migrants passing through the dangerous Darien Gap amid a surge of people traveling north. "For Panama, this is a crisis, but unfortunately with Colombia we have not been able to reach any kind of understanding," Gozaine said in a statement released on Friday. The dense tropical jungle of the 60-mile (97-km) Darien Gap links Panama and Colombia, covering a missing section on the Pan-American highway, which stretches from Alaska to Argentina. Late last month, Panama's security ministry released data showing that the number of individual crossings of the Darien Gap reached an all-time high of nearly 250,000 in the first seven months of the year. "The only thing that Panama can do is manage the flow and permit (migrants) to keep traveling north and try to minimize the damage to Panama," she said.

Persons: Samira Gozaine, Gozaine, Elida Moreno, David Alire Garcia, Tom Hogue Organizations: PANAMA CITY, Panamanian, Pan, Thomson Locations: PANAMA, Colombia, Panama, Darien, Alaska, Argentina, United States

☆ Panama Canal seen losing $200 mln next year as ship crossings dip
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Monrovia NSU CHALLENGER bulk carrier transits the expanded canal through Cocoli Locks at the Panama Canal, on the outskirts of Panama City, Panama April 19, 2023. Specifically, between 30 and 32 ships are expected to cross daily during the new fiscal year which starts in October, said canal administrator Ricaurte Vasquez at an event. That compares to the 36 to 38 ships that transit the waterway when it operates at full capacity. The $200 million cut would reduce the canal's revenues for the 2023-2024 fiscal year to $4.9 billion. Panama typically sees heavy rains in July, and the canal authority has called the lack of precipitation "historically unprecedented."

Persons: Aris Martinez, Ricaurte Vasquez, Elida Moreno, David Alire Garcia Organizations: Monrovia NSU CHALLENGER, REUTERS, PANAMA CITY, Thomson Locations: Cocoli, Panama, Panama City

☆ UN calls for regional solutions to curb record migration through Darien Gap
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A group of migrants from different countries walk through the Darien Gap, as they continue their journey to the U.S. border, in Acandi, Colombia July 9, 2023. Official data shows 248,901 people crossed the dangerous stretch between January and July, surpassing the record high seen for all of 2022. The "dramatic" numbers show a need for joint efforts to address the root causes of forced displacement and irregular migration, the UN refugee agency and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a statement. Migrants crossing the Darien Gap are mostly from Venezuela, while Haitians and Ecuadorians make up the next two largest groups. Crossings through the jungle are expected to surpass 400,000 this year, according to the UN, well up from nearly 250,000 in 2022.

Persons: Adri, Michele Klein Solomon, Ecuadorians, Elida Moreno, Gerry Doyle Organizations: REUTERS, PANAMA CITY, United Nations, UN, International Organization for Migration, Migrants, Thomson Locations: Darien, U.S, Acandi, Colombia, Panama, Venezuela

☆ Migration through Panama's perilous Darien Gap hits all-time high
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Elida Moreno | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PANAMA CITY, July 31 (Reuters) - The number of people crossing the treacherous Darien Gap linking Panama and Colombia hit an all-time high in the first seven months of the year, figures released on Monday showed, with July seeing a sharp jump despite recent efforts to curb the trend. Official data showed 248,901 people walked through the jungle area between January and July, already surpassing the record of 248,284 recorded for the whole of 2022, with most aiming to reach the United States, according to data from Panama's Security Ministry. Entries to Panama from Colombia through the jungle region have continued to rise despite a two-month program launched in April by the United States, Panama and Colombia to tackle undocumented immigration. The flow of migrants has skyrocketed from previous years, despite the start of the rainy season, Panama's Security Minister Juan Pino said earlier this month. Reporting by Elida Moreno; Writing by Valentine Hilaire; Editing by Cynthia OstermanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Juan Pino, Maria Saravia, Elida Moreno, Valentine Hilaire, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: PANAMA CITY, Panama's Security, Panama's, United Nations, Thomson Locations: PANAMA, Panama, Colombia, United States, Venezuela, Haiti, Ecuador

"Tourism has been on the slow burner for decades in the Darien," said longtime Panamanian tour guide Rick Morales. Tourists and migrants rarely meet face to face; the routes are almost always separated by dozens of miles. Reuters GraphicsTrip advertising does not mention the humanitarian crisis. At the same time, it acknowledged a "catastrophic humanitarian crisis" in a separate part of the Darien due to migration. Travel Darien Panama is an Indigenous-owned tour operator that says on its website it aims to help fund schools and improve living conditions in their village.

Persons: Franca Ramirez, Ramirez, Rick Morales, Marco Wanske, Kisbel Garcia, Alejandra Peña, Luis Eguiluz, Lorri Krebs, Mark Fischer, Morales, Carmelita Cansari, Nina Van Maris, Van Maris, Daina Beth Solomon, Laura Gottesdiener, Elida Moreno, Stephen Eisenhammer, Claudia Parsons Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Pan, Organization for Migration, Reuters, Tourists, Reuters Graphics, Adventure Travel Trade Association . Social, REUTERS, UNESCO, Salem State University, Tourism Ministry, U.S ., U.S, U.S . State Department, Big, Maria, Thomson Locations: MEXICO, Panamanian, Venezuela, Darien, Panama, Americas, United States, Mexico, Alaska, Argentina, Afghanistan, Africa, U.S, selfies, Ecuador, Haiti, Acandi, Colombia, Central America, Salem , Massachusetts, Greece, Texas, Travel Darien Panama, Luxembourg, Mexico City, Monterrey, Panama City, Maria Laguna

☆ Panama's ex-President Martinelli sentenced to over 10 years in prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Elida Moreno | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PANAMA CITY, July 18 (Reuters) - A Panamanian court sentenced former President Ricardo Martinelli to more than 10 years in prison for money laundering, the attorney general's office said on Tuesday, threatening the front-runner's bid to for a new term next year. A survey published in May by polling firm Campaigns & Elections Mexico put Martinelli as the front-runner, followed by former President Martin Torrijos. The court imposed a $19.2 million fine on Martinelli, judicial authorities said in a statement. The former president's spokesperson Luis Camacho said his team will analyze what he called a legal attack on Martinelli. Reporting by Elida Moreno; Writing by Valentine Hilaire; Editing by Richard ChangOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ricardo Martinelli, Carlos Carrillo, Ricardo Martinelli Berrocal's, Carrillo, Elections Mexico, Martinelli, Martin Torrijos, Luis Camacho, Elida Moreno, Valentine Hilaire, Richard Chang Organizations: PANAMA CITY, Elections, United, Thomson Locations: PANAMA, United States

☆ Panama pledges to purge more substandard ships from world's largest registry
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PANAMA CITY, June 27 (Reuters) - The Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) said on Tuesday it would continue to clean up its fleet to prevent substandard Panama-flagged ships from being detained in foreign ports, a week after the country was added to an international watch list. Panama's ships registry was last week added to the "grey list" of the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), an agreement among 27 countries establishing an international inspection regime for foreign ships in other nations' ports, aiming to control ships' safety and environmental standards. The grey list includes fleets with acceptable compliance levels but low detention rates. Panama has removed 216 vessels from its ships registry, the world's largest, since 2021, for not meeting international standards. Reporting by Elida Moreno; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Elida Moreno, Sarah Morland, Stephen Coates Organizations: PANAMA CITY, Panama Maritime Authority, AMP, Thomson Locations: PANAMA, Panama, Paris

☆ Panama Canal postpones depth restrictions after much-needed rain
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Elida Moreno | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PANAMA CITY, June 23 (Reuters) - The Panama Canal will postpone depth restrictions that were set to affect the largest ships crossing the key waterway, the canal authority said, after much-needed rain provided relief to the strained maritime passage. However, rains are expected to dump between 70 mm (2.76 in) and 80 mm (3.15 in) of precipitation into the Panama Canal basin over the next 72 hours, according to the country's weather service. Neo-Panamax ships can continue to sail at the previous depth limit of 44.0 feet (13.41 m) and Panamax ships can move at 39.5 feet (12.04 m), the canal authority said in an advisory to customers seen by Reuters. The canal authority had previously announced another tightening, set for July 19, but did not refer to this in its client advisory. Since the beginning of the year, the canal had instituted a number of depth restrictions as a drought, caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon, had put pressure on its water supplies.

Persons: Eli Moreno, Kylie Madry, Diane Craft Organizations: PANAMA CITY, Reuters, El, Thomson Locations: PANAMA, Panama

☆ Drought-hit Panama Canal further restricts maximum ship depth
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Elida Moreno | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Monrovia NSU CHALLENGER bulk carrier transits the expanded canal through Cocoli Locks at the Panama Canal, on the outskirts of Panama City, Panama April 19, 2023. REUTERS/Aris Martinez/File PhotoPANAMA CITY, June 21 (Reuters) - The Panama Canal will expand restrictions on the largest ships crossing the waterway, one of the world's busiest trade passages, the canal authority's administrator said on Wednesday, citing shallower waters due to drought. Ship traffic, including container ships and oil tankers, using the canal between the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean accounts for about 3.5% of global trade. Despite the new rules limiting ships' weight, Vasquez said the flow of ships through the canal has carried on as expected so far. The limits will not affect liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, as they typically report drafts of up to 37 feet, according to the canal authority.

Persons: Aris Martinez, Ricaurte Vasquez, Vasquez, Eli Moreno, Kylie Madry, Sonali Paul Organizations: Monrovia NSU CHALLENGER, REUTERS, PANAMA CITY, Central, Reuters, Port, El Nino, Thomson Locations: Cocoli, Panama, Panama City, Central American, El

☆ Panama ex-President Martinelli chosen as RM candidate for elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Elida Moreno | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PANAMA CITY, June 4 (Reuters) - Panama's former President Ricardo Martinelli was on Sunday chosen as the presidential candidate for his party Realizando Metas (RM) in next year's elections. Martinelli - along with his sons - is also charged in Panama for his alleged involvement in laundering millions of dollars in bribes from Brazilian construction company Odebrecht. "The only way to get me out of the presidential race is by impeachment ... they're going to have to kill me," Martinelli said. The Untied States has barred Martinelli from entering the North American country, with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken accusing him of accepting bribes. Reporting by Elida Moreno Writing by Oliver Griffin Editing by Shri NavaratnamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ricardo Martinelli, Realizando, Martinelli, Antony Blinken, Elida Moreno, Oliver Griffin, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: PANAMA CITY, U.S, Thomson Locations: PANAMA, Panama, American

☆ Panama boosts security in Darien Gap to confront human traffickers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Operation Choco" aims to stop transnational organized crime in the Darien by mobilizing aerial support and confronting crime groups "head on," Security Minister Juan Pino told a press conference. It is affecting national security, not only in Panama but across the continent," Pino said, stressing that the initiative was "totally Panamanian." In April, Panama joined Colombia and the United States in a pledge to increase joint actions against human traffickers in Darien Gap. This is an effort wholly from the Panamanian state, because we are seeing that the situation of irregular migration is being exploited by transnational organized crime, which is profiting in the millions," he said. More than 166,000 migrants have crossed the Darien so far this year, according to the security ministry, mostly children and teenagers.

Persons: Carlos Jasso, Juan Pino, Pino, Oriel Ortega, Elida Moreno, Sarah Morland, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, PANAMA CITY, Thomson Locations: Puerto Obaldia, Guana Yala, Panama, Colombia, Darien, United States, Colombian, Panamanian

☆ Child migrants crossing Darien Gap surge eightfold, UNICEF says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Elida Moreno | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PANAMA CITY, May 30 (Reuters) - The number of child migrants crossing a dangerous stretch of jungle dividing Colombia and Panama has rapidly increased during the first four months of this year, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday. The thick jungle terrain of the Darien Gap, which is also home to roving bands of criminals, has become a key transit point for thousands of mostly U.S.-bound migrants setting out in search of better lives from South America. A record 25,431 children and teens, both accompanied and unaccompanied, entered Panama through the Darien Gap between January and April, according to a statement from UNICEF provided to Reuters. Adding to the already dangerous conditions, minors are increasingly arriving in Panama without an adult or guardian after crossing the Darien Gap, UNICEF said. That compares with under three a day last year, according to Reuters calculations based on UNICEF data.

Persons: Eli Moreno, Kylie Madry, David Alire Garcia, Jamie Freed Organizations: PANAMA CITY, United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, Reuters, Thomson Locations: PANAMA, Colombia, Panama, Darien, South America

☆ Child migrants crossing Darien Gap surge eightfold -UNICEF
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Elida Moreno | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

☆ At least 39 migrants die in bus crash off Panama cliff
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Elida Moreno | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Rescue teams work at the site of the accident of a bus, which was carrying migrants who had traveled through the Darien gap, in Los Planes de Gualaca, Panama February 15, 2023. REUTERS/StringerPANAMA CITY, Feb 15 (Reuters) - At least 39 have died in Panama after a bus carrying more than 60 migrants fell off a cliff early on Wednesday, the country's migration authorities said, marking the worst migration accident in the Central American country's history. Migration authorities did not provide details on the nationalities of the victims, saying it would first communicate with the relatives and respective embassies of the passengers. Last year, a record 248,000 migrants crossed the Darien Gap, most of them Venezuelans. Since the beginning of 2023, a further 32,800 have crossed the Darien Gap, Panama's foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

PANAMA CITY, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Panama's government is in talks with Canada-based miner First Quantum Minerals (FM.TO) over the conditions under which it operates its flagship copper mine, the government's Chief Revenue Officer Publio De Gracia said on Friday. The official from the country's economy and finance ministry said Panama was looking for a "fair" deal in which the company complies with the obligations its large operations demand. Canada's trade minister has been in contact with her counterpart in Panama in an effort to resolve the dispute, a Canadian government source said on Friday. First Quantum has disbursed more than $10 billion in the mine, according to its web page. Reporting by Valentine Hilaire in Panama City and Steve Scherer in Ottawa; Additional reporting by Elida Moreno in Panama City; Editing by Alistair Bell and Diane CraftOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Canada's First Quantum Minerals ordered to suspend operations at Panama mine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Elida Moreno | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PANAMA CITY, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Panama's government ordered Canada's First Quantum Minerals (FM.TO) on Thursday to pause operations at its flagship copper mine in the country after missing a deadline to finalize a deal that would have increased payments to the government from the mine. The government had given Minera Panama, which is majority-owned by First Quantum Minerals, until Wednesday to sign an agreement reached in January to pay $375 million a year to the government from its Cobre Panama mine. Panama's government ordered the commerce and industry ministry to suspend Minera Panama's operations at the mine after a midnight deadline was missed. Months of talks between the miner and government continued until early morning Thursday, the commerce and industry ministry said. First Quantum Mineral's $6 billion investment in the open-pit mine, where operations began in 2019, is considered the largest private investment in the Central American country and accounts for roughly 3.5% of Panama's gross domestic product.

Some sponsors are U.S.-based relatives of Venezuelans eager to flee political and economic turmoil back home. Diaz, a Venezuelan-American advocate who has lived in the United States for the past 25 years, got in touch with Venezuelans seeking sponsors via social media. Around 7,000 Venezuelans have been approved for the new program since the Oct. 18 launch, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. U.S. sponsors do not need to be related to Venezuelans to support their applications, but they must have permission to reside in the United States. A week after the new program was announced and the Mexico return policy was enacted, U.S. authorities saw an 80% decrease in Venezuelan border encounters.

☆ Panama river cleaned up by trash-trapping wheel in a green first
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Elida Moreno | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The wheel, fueled by hydraulic and solar energy, collects the vast amounts of waste produced in the capital Panama City with its metro population of around two million people. Installed by environmental group Marea Verde, the wheel is named Wanda Diaz, in part a reference to the Juan Diaz river where it spins. Wanda Diaz launched in late September in a river basin since drenched by heavy rains, which in turn propelled plastic bottles and containers into Wanda's mechanical arms. Over five years, Marea Verde projects have slowed the spread of trash across Panama's rivers and coastlines. "We want to raise awareness that we can prevent the death of this very important river," said Marea Verde head Sandy Watemberg, expressing optimism that the wheel will help.

☆ Quake strikes in Pacific off Central America, no reports of damage
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 16 (Reuters) - A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck in the Pacific Ocean between Central America and the Galapagos Islands on Sunday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said, but there were no initial reports of damage. The quake hit at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), according to the USGS, and the U.S. Tsunami Warning Center said no warning had been issued for a potential tsunami. A spokesperson for civil protection authorities in Panama said they had not received word of any impact. Authorities in Ecuador, of which the Galapagos Islands are part, likewise did not have any immediate reports of damage from the quake. Earlier, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre had reported the quake at a magnitude of 6.4.

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