Caribbean ports join efforts to facilitate distribution of Covid-19 vaccines

The Panamanian Caribbean ports, Manzanillo International Terminal (MIT) and Colon Container Terminal (CCT), joined the collaborative effort to optimize supply routes for the distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine to Latin America, by signing memoranda of understanding with the Panama Canal.

The Panama Canal, MIT and CCT agreed to establish a cooperative alliance to explore the possibility of working on the establishment of a logistics center on the Caribbean side of the interoceanic route, for the storage and distribution of vaccines against Covid- 19 and supplies for the Latin American region.

"Now with the addition of MIT and CCT to this effort, we integrate the port system of Panama to the commitment to help meet the demand that supply chains will require due to the pandemic from the terminals in both oceans," said the administrator of the Panama Canal. Panama, Ricaurte Vásquez Morales.

"We will work together with the Panamanian ports to find options that allow us to use our experience, logistical capacity and connectivity to support the distribution of the vaccine in the region," the Administrator stressed.

The Panama Canal will consider the development of additional facilities for storage and / or break bulk of vaccine shipments, additional energy sources or redundancies, as well as access roads to the terminals.

“At a time of crisis like this, everyone in the supply chain must leverage their respective resources and collaborate with each other to work toward the common goal of ending the devastation of the Covid-19 pandemic. CCT is ready to contribute its experience, terminal and logistics infrastructure to support efforts related to the distribution of the vaccine in the region. The ports of Panama are at the crossroads of world trade and are among the best positioned to support this effort, ”said Stephen Shaffer, president of CCT.