Panama City, Panama - On Tuesday, the Panama Canal Authority announced that a total of 11 of the world’s largest port operators have formally expressed interest to participate in a public bidding for the Port of Corozal. The Port, which will be located on the Pacific side of the Canal, will play a major role in the development of Panama as the logistic hub of Latin America. “We are thrilled at the sizeable interest we have received so far,” said Panama Canal Administrator/CEO Jorge L. Quijano. “It further demonstrates the demand that exists for service on the Pacific Coast of Panama, a demand which will only grow with the opening of the expanded Canal in 2016.” The following companies have shown interest: 1. Terminal Investment Limited SA (Holland) 2. EUROGATE Container Terminal Wilhelmshaven (Germany) 3. Carrix, Inc. and affiliates (Manzanillo) (USA) 4. Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. (Korea) 5. APM Terminals (Holland) 6. Ports America (USA) 7. CMA-CGM Group (France) 8. Evergreen International Corp. (Taiwan) 9. China Shipping Ports Development Co. Ltd. and China Harbour Engineering Co. Ltd. (China) 10. Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (Germany) 11. Panama Ports Company (China) Several of the interested parties are even linked to major customers of the Panama Canal, representing their commitment to the waterway and the desire to develop more port capacity on the Pacific side of Panama. In recognition of this, Panama’s bordering countries—Colombia and Costa Rica—have been making significant investments in nearby ports to take advantage of the traffic and demand that will be generated from the operation of the expanded Canal.