Central America








LNG Transportation

Transport Infrastructure

Freight Logistics

Mulino denies reports that the US military is evaluating options for the Panama Canal

The Panamanian President, Jose Raul Mulino, said that the reports that the U.S. Military is looking at options to ensure full U.S. Access to the Panama Canal are not credible because they came from anonymous sources. He said at a press briefing that if no one signed off on such a claim, he didn't give it any weight. Last week, two anonymous U.S. government officials said that the Pentagon was instructed to assess options in light of President Donald Trump's repeated claims he wanted to "take back", the important global shipping route through Panama. Trump claimed that the tolls on...

Transport Infrastructure

Hong Kong leader rejects foreign governments' 'coercion' and bullying

Hong Kong's leader John Lee responded on Tuesday that his government is opposed to "coercion and bullying tactics" used by foreign governments, after being questioned about the port deal between CK Hutchison and U.S. company BlackRock. CK Hutchison announced this month that it had agreed to sell the majority of its $22.8 billion global ports business, which includes assets along Panama Canal's strategically important corridor, to a BlackRock-led group in a deal, which has now become politically charged. At his weekly press conference, Lee said that the (Hong Kong government) urges other governments to create a fair and equitable environment...

Transport Infrastructure

Officials say that the Pentagon requested military options for access to the Panama Canal.

Two U.S. officials said on Thursday that the U.S. Military must provide options in order to guarantee the United States full access to Panama Canal. Donald Trump has repeatedly said that he wants "to take back" Panama Canal He has not provided any details about the specifics of how he will do this, or whether military action may be necessary. Unnamed U.S. officials said that a document - described as a interim national security guide by the new administration - called for the military to consider military options in order to protect access to the Panama Canal. A second official...

Transport Infrastructure

Can Trump "take back" the Panama Canal

Donald Trump has repeatedly said that he wants "to take back" the Panama Canal, but hasn't given specifics on how he will do it. This article explains the history of the canal and the laws that govern it. Why is the Panama Canal important? The Panama Canal is located in the narrowest part between North and South America. It is one of most important waterways around the globe. The canal recorded 11,240 crossings in 2014, totaling over 235.5 million tonnes of cargo. More than two thirds of the cargo that passes through the canal comes from the U.S. or is...

Transport Infrastructure

BlackRock to buy CK Hutchison's stake in Panama port amid Trump pressure

Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings announced on Tuesday that a consortium, including BlackRock Inc., would purchase an 80% share in a unit which controls ports in Panama at a value of equity equal to $14.21 billion. The sale of 90% of the shares in Panama Ports Company (which owns and operates Balboa Port and Cristobal Port) comes at a time when U.S. president Donald Trump is putting pressure on China to stop its influence and control of the Panama Canal. CK Hutchison operates the ports of Balboa & Cristobal, at the Canal's Pacific & Atlantic entrances, for over two decades....

Transport Infrastructure

China's dominance of trade in South America tempers Trump’s influence

Javier Milei, the libertarian president of Aragón in 2023, branded China a "communist assassin", and threatened to weaken relations with Asia. Exports of soy, lithium and other commodities to China grew 15% during his first year in office. The U-turn of a U.S. natural ally highlights a challenge to President Donald Trump, especially in South America's resource-rich region where China has gained influence in recent years due to booming trade. Trump wants to disrupt global trade by using trade tariffs and threats to get partners to promote U.S. interest. He has already made concessions to Colombia, Panama, and Mexico. Meanwhile,...

Transport Infrastructure

CK Hutchison to invest $1 billion in port investments in Pakistan, says ministry

The Finance Ministry of Hong Kong announced on Friday that CK Hutchison Holdings Limited, a Hong Kong conglomerate, plans to invest $1 Billion to upgrade its ports operations in Pakistan. The ministry released a statement saying that "Hutchison Ports has presented their $1 billion investment plan, which is aimed at upgrading existing terminals in order to improve operational efficiency, logistic connectivity, and automation." The proposed investment was not time-limited. Hutchison Ports said in a statement that the investment was expected to generate revenue of at least $4 billion over the next 25-years through royalties, rents, and tax contributions. The announcement...

Transport Infrastructure

Rubio praises Panama's decision to withdraw from Chinese infrastructure plan

Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary for State, welcomed the decision of Panama to allow its participation in China’s global infrastructure plan to expire on Monday. He called the move a "great step forward" for the United States-Panama relationship. Washington has argued Beijing uses this scheme as "debt-trap diplomacy" in order to consolidate its global influence. Rubio made his first trip abroad as the top U.S. diplomacy under President Donald Trump. He visited Panama, an important U.S. ally in Latin America. Rubio also pressed the country to change its relationship with China. Jose Raul Mulino, the Panamanian president, said that after meeting...

Transport Infrastructure

Why the US claims that China's presence in Panama violates the neutrality treaty

Some U.S. officials and lawmakers are citing a nearly 50-year-old treaty signed between the United States of America and Panama as a way to justify Trump's threat to take back the Panama Canal, provided they can prove that the waterway's operations are threatened. Some, however, believe that obstacles would arise if the U.S. tried to use the 1997 Panama Canal Neutrality Treaty - which went into effect in 1999 - to claim the canal. The treaty guarantees the canal will remain neutral and available to ships from any country. Since 1999, the Panama Canal Authority has controlled the 82-km waterway....

Transport Infrastructure

Senators raise concern about Chinese impact on Panama Canal operations

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators on Tuesday revealed alarm at China's influence on the Panama Canal, which President Donald Trump has actually vowed the United States would take back. Chinese companies are developing a bridge throughout the canal--. at a sluggish pace so as to take almost a decade-- and control. container ports at either end, Senate Commerce Committee chair. Ted Cruz said at a hearing on the canal's role in U.S. trade and. national security. The partially-completed bridge offers China the capability. to block the canal without warning, and the ports offer China. ready observation posts to time...

Transport Infrastructure

Germany protects oil tanker adrift off its Baltic coast

A tugboat has stopped a. tanker bring around 99,000 metric lots of oil from Russia. from wandering out of control off Germany's Baltic Sea coast near. the island of Ruegen, emergency services said on Friday. The 274-metre (899-foot) Panama-flagged tanker, called. Eventin, and taking a trip from Russia to Egypt, had been drifting. gradually and unable to manoeuvre given that earlier on Friday,. Germany's Central Command for Maritime Emergencies said. A tugboat was holding it in position and others were en. route, CCME said, adding it was examining next steps. Evacuation of the 24-member team was not required, it said....

Transport Infrastructure

After Trump danger, Mexican president says Panama Canal belongs to Panamanians

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum revealed support for Panama's federal government on Monday after U.S. Presidentelect Donald Trump threatened to reassert U.S. control over the Panama Canal on Sunday. Undoubtedly, the Panama Canal belongs to the Panamanians, Sheinbaum stated, speaking during her routine early morning press conference. Sheinbaum's comments came one day after Trump accused Panama of charging excessive rates to use the Main American passage while speaking with a crowd of supporters in Arizona. After the event, he published an image on Reality Social of an American flag flying over a narrow body of water, with the comment: Invite. to...

Passenger Transportation Services

Ground Freight & Logistics

Illinois corn farmers are worried about losing sales to Mexico because of Trump's tariffs

The tariffs imposed by U.S. president Donald Trump on Mexican imports pose a significant risk to farmers in Jacksonville. This is because Mexico's retaliation could cause corn buyers to switch to South American rivals. Mexico is the top corn-importing country in the world. At a time when prices of grains have plummeted and chemical and seed costs for crops are on the rise, this market is crucial for U.S. producers. Farmers in Jacksonville, a small city of 17,000 residents, are more likely to benefit from Mexican demand than other farmers. The residents live near a grain loading facility where corn...

Passenger Transportation Services

US automakers, homebuilders and materials are hit by Trump's trade war

The latest trade war escalation by Washington has put pressure on the shares of U.S.-based companies. Earnings in many sectors are expected to be affected, including those in automakers, retailers, and raw materials. Donald Trump has imposed 25% tariffs for imports from Mexico, Canada and the United Kingdom. The tariffs cover more than $900 billion in annual U.S. exports to Mexico and Canada. Trump doubled the duties on Chinese imports from 10% to 20% in order to punish Beijing for the U.S. overdose crisis. The duty is on top of the 25% tariffs that were imposed in his first term....

Passenger Transportation Services

Wall Street Journal - Jan 31

The following are the leading stories in the Wall Street Journal. Reuters has not validated these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. - OpenAI remains in early speak to raise as much as $40 billion in a. funding round that would value the ChatGPT maker as high as $300. billion. - Waste Management will shed 1,000 jobs this year,. accelerating its automation efforts, which will lower its. headcount by thousands and move the company better to its objective. of $450 million in expense cuts. - Allstate will sell its Group Health service to. Nationwide for $1.25 billion in...

Ground Transportation

Transportation

Transportation

Shipping companies pull out of Hong Kong to avoid US-China risks

Some shipping companies move their operations discreetly out of Hong Kong, and remove vessels from its registry. Some shipping companies are making contingency planning to do this. Six shipping executives have said that these low-profile actions are motivated by a fear that their vessels could be seized by Chinese authorities, or face U.S. sanction in the event of a clash between Beijing and Washington. The people said that the growing U.S. scrutiny over the importance of China’s commercial fleet to a potential military conflict, such as one over Taiwan, and Beijing's emphasis of Hong Kong's role in serving Chinese interests...

Transportation

Mexico's new judges system is threatened by cartels after a murder

As they finished their day, clerical workers at an Acapulco Courthouse heard shots. Gunmen opened fire on Magistrate Edmundo Roman Pinzon - a former president in the highest court of Guerrero State - as he attempted to leave the parking lot. The killing on December 11, happened months before the election of federal judges and magistrates. This election marks a major change in Mexico's judicial system, after years of lawlessness. The increased public exposure of candidates for prestigious positions in a country which last year experienced the bloodiest elections it has ever seen, has raised fears that they will become...

Transportation

Panama's vessel registry claims that it is not a place for sanction evasion

The Central American nation's Maritime Authority announced on Wednesday that Panama had made progress in removing vessels from its registry if they did not meet the standards of its flag. This was a response to criticisms by the United States that it had allowed sanctioned nations to move ships under the Panamanian flag. Officials and congressmen from the United States have accused Panama for not doing enough to enforce sanctions against vessels and shipowners from countries such as Russia, Iran and Venezuela. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, has used these arguments in threatening to take over the Panama Canal. Washington...

Transportation

First time in nearly a year, transits through the Panama Canal dropped in January

According to a bulletin released by the Panama Canal's administering authority on Tuesday, the number of ships that passed through it, the second busiest canal in the world, decreased to an average of 32,6 per day, or 1,011 total vessels in January. This is the first monthly decline in nearly a year. According to statistics from the Panama Canal Authority, after a severe drought in 2023 that led to passage restrictions in early 2024, 2024 saw a significant increase in transits, with a total 1,059 vessels in December. The data revealed that the recovery in demand was not sufficient to...

Transportation

Can the US declare that China's presence in Panama violates the neutrality treaty with Panama?

Some U.S. officials and lawmakers are citing a nearly 50-year-old treaty signed between the United States of America and Panama as a way to justify Trump's threat to take back the Panama Canal, provided they can prove that the waterway's operations are threatened. Some, however, believe that obstacles would arise if the U.S. tried to use the 1997 Panama Canal Neutrality Treaty - which went into effect in 1999 - to claim the canal. The treaty guarantees the canal will remain neutral and available to ships from any country. Since 1999, the Panama Canal Authority has controlled the 82-km waterway....

Transportation

US has choices to deal with Chinese impact in Panama, United States official states

The head of the Federal Maritime Commission will inform a U.S. Senate committee that the United States has choices to resolve the growing presence of China and Chinese firms in Panama. President Donald Trump has sworn that the United States would take back the Panama Canal however has actually given no more details on when or how he planned to reclaim the canal which is the sovereign territory of an ally. We require to increase assistance for American business seeking to do organization in Panama and throughout the Americas. Chinese companies must not be the sole bidders on agreements, Federal...

Transportation

Trump says the US will retake back the Panama Canal by invoking an expansionist agenda

Donald Trump, the newly sworn in President of the United States, promised on Monday to take back the Panama Canal during his inauguration speech. He invoked the 19th-century expansionist doctrine "Manifest Destiny." Trump reaffirmed his threat made before his inauguration to regain control of the canal. He accused Panama of not fulfilling its promises to transfer the strategic waterway to the United States in 1999, and of transferring the operation to China. The Panamanian government has denied these claims. "We didn't hand it over to China." Trump said, "We gave it to Panama and we're bringing it back." He did...

Transportation

Gas need from United States LNG export plants heads for very first decrease in 8 years

Demand for U.S. gas to produce melted natural gas (LNG) for export this year is headed for its first decline given that the nation began exporting the superchilled fuel from the lower 48 states eight years back. The U.S. is the world's largest exporter of the superchilled gas and an essential company of gas to Europe in the wake of Russia's. intrusion of Ukraine. Natural gas rates have stayed fairly. high in Europe as the expected U.S. growth in output in 2024 has. not materialized and the continent is bracing for a brand-new gas. price shock as colder winter season...

Transportation

Argentina's YPF develops new collaboration for Vaca Muerta Sur oil project

Argentina's staterun oil company YPF formed a brand-new collaboration with regional oil business to transfer and export oil from its massive Vaca Muerta shale oil formation, the business revealed on Monday. In a statement, YPF stated it was partnering with Vista Energy Argentina, Pampa Energia and Pan American Sur to form VMOS S.A. to run its Vaca Muerta Sur project. The project consists of a 473 km (about 294 miles). pipeline, loading and discharging terminal along with storage. facilities. The project will require an estimated $3 billion in. financing that will be supplied by the partners, as well as. local...

Transportation

Mexican senate authorizes work advantages for app chauffeurs

Mexico's Senate on Thursday authorized reforms to enhance conditions for chauffeurs with ridehailing and shipment services such as DiDi, Rappi and Uber, ensuring access to social security and a. Christmas reward, to name a few advantages. The reform passed all with 113 votes in favor, and. will be forwarded to the executive power to get enacted. President Claudia Sheinbaum had actually sent out the proposition to. lawmakers in early December and it was fast-tracked to a plenary. vote ahead of Congress' Christmas recess on Dec. 15. Mexico's judgment Morena celebration and its allies, which won a. landslide success in the...

Transportation

Mexico's lower house authorizes labor reform for app workers

Mexico's lower house on Tuesday authorized a reform that seeks to regulate labor conditions for shipment employees and motorists working for apps such as DiDi, Rappi and Uber by ensuring access to social security and a Christmas reward to name a few benefits. The reform passed in basic with 462 votes in favor, with no abstentions and no one voting against, following a two-hour argument. Today is a day that ought to go down in history, said ruling Morena celebration legislator Ariadna Barrera, saying the reform would advantage hundreds of thousands of employees and even more the celebration's. efforts to...

Oil Pipeline

Argentina's YPF to look for $2 billion in funding for oil pipeline in Q2 2025

Argentina's staterun oil company YPF will seek $2 billion in funding in the 2nd quarter of 2025 to complete its Vaca Muerta Sur job, a company source stated on Wednesday. The project is being performed by Vaca Muerta Oil Sur ( VMOS), which is managed by YPF, and intends to carry an additional 390,000 barrels daily from the Vaca Muerta development to a coastal export terminal in Rio Negro province. The source said that the company is seeking $1.5 billion from foreign investors and $500 million in your area and wishing to add Pampa Energy, Vista, Shell, Chevron and Pan...