Port Manatee becomes the second U.S. port - and Florida's only port - to have a five-year strategic alliance with the ACP. Port Manatee is the closest U.S. deepwater port to the Panama Canal.
The new agreement was accepted by the Manatee County Port Authority May 19, exactly two years after the original accord. Since reaching agreement in 2009, the ACP and Port Manatee have collaborated on three Panama trade missions and a local conference to explore trading opportunities between Florida and Panama-based business interests.
"Through our relationship with the ACP, we have gained a unique appreciation for Panama's role in Port Manatee's future," said Port Manatee's Executive Director David L. McDonald PPM®. "Mr. Alemán's confidence in our port reinforces our commitment to pursue containerized cargo and expand our breakbulk and bulk business ties."
A new 1,584 foot-long container berth is nearing completion at Port Manatee and Manatee County government has incentivized nearly 5,000 acres of largely undeveloped land adjacent to the port to attract international shippers to Florida's west coast.
The 2014 completion of the $5.25 billion Panama Canal expansion is expected to be a catalyst for new trade lanes, serving new markets and U.S. ports throughout the upper Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic. The project essentially doubles the canal's present capacity with the creation of two new sets of locks, enhanced navigational features and the addition of new access channels - all to accommodate larger post-Panamax-sized ships.
As part of the partnership, the ACP and Port Manatee will continue working together in a series of activities to promote both the canal and the port.
