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EXPANSION GREAT THE

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By TED JACKOVICS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 11, 2008

Tampa will benefit from a $5.25 billion project to double the Panama Canal's capacity by 2014 and expand container cargo shipping for many U.S. seaports, industry officials agree.

A wider canal should help double the volume of cargo to East Coast and Gulf Coast seaports from the Far East, including China, and spur economic growth in Panama, which Tampa economic development officials seek as a major trade partner.
Tampa Bay businesses will get an opportunity on Jan. 23 and 24 to learn firsthand from officials involved in the Panama Canal expansion project about the potential effect on local trade in an event hosted by the Tampa Port Authority.

The sessions, open to the public for a $300 registration fee, are scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 23 in the Sheraton Tampa Riverwalk Hotel, 200 N. Ashley Drive, and conclude at noon on Jan. 24. Information is at www .aapa-ports.org/training.

Speakers for the program organized by the U.S. Maritime Administration and the American Association of Port Authorities include Panama's ambassador to Washington, Federico Humbert; the administrator of the Panama Canal Authority, Alberto Aleman Zubieta; senior executives of Zim, Maersk and CMA-CGM shipping lines; port officials from Alabama, South Carolina, Texas and Florida; and financial officials from Morgan Stanley's New York office.
Port of Tampa Director Richard Wainio, who was born in the Canal Zone and spent much of his career working for the Panama Canal Commission, will contribute to a discussion on the importance of the canal project.

"Expanding this crucial transocean shipping lane to accommodate more and larger ships presents a host of challenges and opportunities, ranging from increased trade to major new investments in water- and land-side transportation infrastructure," said Kurt Nagle, president and chief executive of the American Association of Port Authorities, based in Alexandria, Va.

The first day of the sessions will focus on global trade pattern shifts, how shipping line routing decisions are made, port infrastructure development expectations, and probable effects on local highway and railroad congestion.

The second day will include discussions on financing options to meet infrastructure needs of increased cargo and recreational shipping through the Panama Canal and a roundtable discussion on how to benefit from the effects of the expansion project on the global economy.

"The Panama Canal is an important trade artery for the Port of Tampa and especially for cargoes moving to and from Asia, such as fertilizer, steel and increasingly containers on our Asia-Gulf Express service," said Wade Elliott, senior director of the marketing division for the Port of Tampa.

"The expansion of the Panama Canal is expected to result in new container shipping services between Asia and the U.S. Gulf," Elliott said. "Tampa, with its huge local Central Florida market, plenty of room for terminal expansion, and proximity to the canal, is very well-positioned to benefit from this expansion of new container services."

AT A GLANCE

Shifting International Trade Routes - Planning For The Panama Canal Expansion
WHERE: Sheraton Tampa Riverwalk Hotel, 200 N. Ashley Drive
WHEN: Jan. 23-24, 1 1/2 -day program

REGISTRATION: Begins at 8 a.m. Jan. 23; $300 fee for the public, $150 for federal government attendees; see www.aapa-ports.org/training for information.

Reporter Ted Jackovics can be reached at tjackovics@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7817.

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