The inter-institutional commission managing the transition announced the first successful tests of the container movement and the launch of the Terminal Operating System (TOS) to manage cargo inventory at the Port of Balboa, as well as the employer substitution for 526 workers. Minister for Canal Affairs, José Ramón Icaza, along with the administrator of the Government Innovation Authority (AIG), Adolfo Fábrega, and the administrator of the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP), Luis Roquebert, reported on Tuesday, February 24, that the gate at the Port of Balboa has been opened for exports, empty containers, and rolling traffic. "We have been working with both operators and the systems are online... we are validating that the data from both systems matches the information we have in the port terminals, which is important to know the location of each cargo in the ports," Icaza highlighted. Icaza detailed that in less than 24 hours, more than 200 employer substitutions have been made at the Port of Balboa, and in the case of Cristóbal, more than 326 out of a little over 1,200 people hired. The Port of Balboa attended to its first vessel on Tuesday since the government took over the operations of two of Panama's main port terminals, giving a clear sign of the start of the normalization of its services. These are the ports of Balboa and Cristóbal. Likewise, in the labor area, agreements have been reached with 2 of the 4 worker unions from both ports. He also explained that within a period of no more than 3 days, vehicles that pick up cargo at both terminals could arrive, which are the imports, but also general cargo that must be retrieved from the ports.
