PANAMA CITY, Panama , October 18, 2006 – The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) presented its expansion proposal at the Caribbean Shipping Association’s (CSA) 36^th Annual General Meeting, Conference and Exhibition, held in Panama for the first time, on October 16-18, 2006. The conference was inaugurated by Dr. Ricaurte Vásquez, Minister of Canal Affairs and President of the ACP Board of Directors.

“We are honored to be a part of the CSA Conference and take the opportunity to meet with other shipping representatives to discuss the expansion of the Panama Canal and its benefits for Panama, the nations that compose the Caribbean Shipping Association and world trade,” said Panama Canal Authority Corporate Planning and Marketing Director, Rodolfo R. Sabonge, after presenting the expansion proposal on Tuesday.

The annual CSA conference provides its members an opportunity to discuss the latest trends and issues in cargo and cruise shipping, terminal and port operations and port industrial relations. A key highlight of this conference was a tour of the Panama Canal . CSA members took a partial transit through the waterway onboard a ship – starting at Gamboa, going through the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores Locks and ending at Fort Amador Marina.

Panamanians will vote October 22 in a national referendum on expansion. The project would build a third lane of traffic along the waterway through the construction of a new set of locks, which would allow more traffic and double Canal capacity, as the Panama Canal is nearing maximum capacity. An expanded Canal would benefit the people of Panama and world trade, and would help maximize Panama ’s strategic location to become the great maritime hub of the Americas . 

The CSA was established in 1971 to facilitate development of an efficient, viable Caribbean shipping industry. The primary function of the CSA, according to its Web site, is to create a forum to exchange information and ideas essential to development, allowing members to improve efficiency, production and output. The CSA is composed of 12 national shipping associations and more than 100 individual member entities.