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Panama Canal Sets Historic Tonnage Record

Published Oct 5, 2011 11:32 AM by The Maritime Executive

The Panama Canal set another mark in its history books as it reached a new tonnage record of 322.1 million Panama Canal tons (PC/UMS) during fiscal year 2011 which concluded at midnight of September 30.  This milestone highlights the value of Panama to world commerce.

"This is an unprecedented achievement during the 97 years of Canal operations which proves once again the capability of Panamanians to operate and manage this important waterway for world commerce.  My recognition and gratitude go to the Panama Canal employees for reaching this important goal," said Panama Canal Authority Administrator/CEO Alberto Alemán Zubieta.

The vessel Molene was one of the last ships to transit through Miraflores Locks during Fiscal Year 2011, the night of September 30.

Preliminary figures showed that the Panama Canal closed Fiscal Year 2011s with 322.1 million Panama Canal tons (PC/UMS).  This figure represents a 7.1% increase compared to the 300.8 million tons registered last year, and also surpasses the previous 2007 record of 312.9 million tons by 2.9%.

According to Alemán Zubieta, this milestone proves that "the Canal´s corporate management model has made it possible to continuously improve the level of service we provide our clients while at the same time increasing benefits to Panama."

The Panama Canal´s fiscal year runs between October 1 and September 30.