Press Room

The National Customs Authority and its director, Tayra Barsallo carried out a visit to the facilities of ZAL PPC (The Logistics Activity Zone in Panama Ports Company) where they learned first-hand about the facilities enabled for this new logistics platform and the investment plans that will provide new services that will generate more jobs, more opportunities and economic growth.

ZAL PPC will allow to carry out CROSSDOCKING services, labelling, processing, assembly of kits and much more within the largest port terminal in Latin America. Allowing not only to provide new services to foreign cargo but also to facilitate the export of national products.

“For us it is a pleasure to help with these capacities that today make Panama a better country of connection and logistics at a Latin American and global level” Tayra Barsallo, Director of the National Customs Authority.

“Giving this type of service, in which we are being innovative in doing it together with the General Directorate of Customs, will achieve that more cargo comes to Panama, more employment and more economic movement.” Alejandro Kouruklis, Director of Government Affairs at PPC.

Our environment affects us all …

In a joint action between the Mayor’s Office of Colón, residents of the neighbouring communities, the Bus Terminal, companies that provide services to the Port, PPC Volunteers and members of the company’s Labor Union, Panama Ports Company, carried out the cleaning of The Bolivar Avenue, at the entrance of The Port of Cristobal.

During the activity, tons of garbage and scrap metal were collected, recovering green spaces and areas for the use of the community.

PPC is committed to supporting the communities where it lives and operates. Together, with the support of the community, we can contribute with wellbeing of our environment.

In the 70s the strengthening of the maritime port industry of Panama began with the birth in May 1974 of the National Port Authority (APN). Entity that had as objectives; promote, guide, plan and coordinate the development of the national port system and consequently, formulate and execute the appropriate policies for these purposes; build, improve, expand and maintain ports and port facilities for the fishing industry and exploit and operate port services in addition to controlling and supervising those ports and facilities.

But it is not until the signing of the Torrijos-Carter Treaties in 1977, that the gradual beginning of the transfer to the Republic of Panama of the areas adjacent to the interoceanic highway and the Panama Canal occurs; areas which before the signing of this historic and patriotic treaty were subject to the jurisdiction of the North American power by provision of the Hay-Bunau Varilla Treaty of 1903.

It is then, on October 1, 1979, 41 years ago, following the schedule agreed upon in accordance with the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, that the effective disappearance of US jurisdiction over the Canal Zone begins and the gradual transfer for the next twenty years of the different infrastructures that were within this Zone.

It is from October 1, 1979 when our flag begins to wave proudly at the top of Cerro Ancón, with the Republic of Panama exercising jurisdiction over its entire territory, thus giving it the opportunity to administer the deep-draft seaports of Balboa and Cristóbal under the hands of the recently created National Port Authority.

This is how, on October 1, a group of Port Workers with the understandable problems and difficulties of any process that they are beginning, begin the difficult task of defining the future of these facilities, which until then the ports of Balboa and Cristóbal had only served as support to military installations and which, due to lack of use and maintenance, deteriorated rapidly.

Thanks to the initial effort of our Port Workers, our container cargo logistics-port sector takes a new course, beginning in 1997 with Panama Ports Company, S.A. a stage of continuous growth in the industry, thanks to the constant investment in personnel, infrastructure, training, resources and technology.

Today, thanks to this profound transformation and human effort, the port sector is one of the largest contributors to the country’s economic growth, becoming a fundamental link for the national logistics sector.

All of this would not be possible without the efforts of hundreds of men and women who, day after day, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, wear the Dock Workers t-shirt in order to be an essential part of the engine of the Panamanian port industry.

At PPC we value every merit, we remember every effort and we recognize that the future is in your hands.