PANAMA FLASH! | Panama City – January 18th, 2024
***Cancellation*** USCG Gas Carrier COC Exam Program – Balboa Panama Canal from January 28th to February 9th, 2024.
Please be advised that the USCG LGC-NCOE team has decided to postpone their attendance to the Panama Canal on Jan 28th – Feb 9th, 2024. Due to the reduced number of canal transits and the increased utilization of alternate routes, USSG LGC-NOCE office was not able to garner sufficient confirmed COC exams to warrant their attendance. Over the next several months they will continue to monitor LPGC and LNGC transits to evaluate future occurrences of Panama Canal COC exam program. If you were scheduled to have a COC completed during this trip, we kindly ask that you contact the local USCG Captain of the Port at your U.S. destination to schedule a COC exam.
Panama Canal Advisory to shipping January:
We would like to circulate the advisory to shipping issued in January by the panama Canal Authority.
Modifications to the Initial Auction Amount in the Neopanamax Locks
The Panama Canal Authority informs that the base or initial amount of the auctions in the Neopanamax Locks has been adjusted to $100,000 for all auctions (daily, special, and extraordinary), and $110,000 for auctions held for a slot on a day of high demand (currently Friday). The initial amount of the auctions for the Panamax Locks remains unchanged.
PCSOPEP plan management with tariff changes on January 1, 2024
In the Advisory to Shipping A-34-2023, the Panama Canal Authority published a new structure of Maritime Service tariffs to be implemented on January 1, 2024.
The new structure includes the simplification of the tiers into which vessels are classified according to their oil-carrying capacity.
Vessels currently classified as Tier S and Tier 1 will be unified into Tier 1 (the tariff for this tier will remain at $660 per transit); and vessels currently classified as Tier 4 and Tier 5 will both fall into tier 4 (the new tariff for tier 4 will be $2,000 per transit).
The plans that have been and will be submitted with vessels classified as Tier S and Tier 5 will remain valid; however, in our systems, those vessels will be classified as Tier 1 and Tier 4, respectively, starting at 0001 hours, January 1, 2024. The same will apply to all vessels already classified in our system in those categories.
Although new submissions for plans sent with the Tier S and Tier 5 classification will not be requested, our clients are encouraged to inform their plans writers to consider these changes in tier classification for plan submissions past December 31, 2023.
For additional information, please reach out to our operators at operations@nortonlilly.com.pa
Norton Lilly International (Panama) S.A.
Bldg. 3825 – Office 204
Howard – Panama-Pacifico
Panama, Rep. of Panama
Tel: (507) 304-4600
Main email: operations@nortonlilly.com.pa (24 hours)
