The call has been made and there is light at the end of the tunnel. We have entered the immunization stage to face Covid-19, and with it, the return to a relative normality, with much caution. Never before in the history of mankind has there been such a short response time (about one year) for the creation, approval and distribution of a vaccine to neutralize a global disease. This is one of the positive aspects that we can rescue from this period: science advances by leaps and bounds for the benefit of all.

This same interest in staying at the forefront of new technologies and advances in our maritime market is what we are experiencing at the Panama Canal, and responds to an imposed need to reinvent ourselves and not be left behind. Our organization understands that every day, we must add value to the service we offer. A business approach that goes beyond the transit of ships and that transcends the lives of its shareholders, the Panamanian people.

Thus, with the aim of strengthening the Canal’s contact with the country, we have joined the Ministry of Education’s initiative, Connect with the Star, since the end of 2020, for the production and transmission of eight educational modules ranging from the history to the challenge of the waterway’s water projects. The project will continue this year, demonstrating how technology is an ally in the transmission of knowledge in the midst of mobility restriction measures due to the pandemic.

That is why it is so important to develop and preserve new types of knowledge and to improve them over time. This has been part of our Canal philosophy for more than 100 years, when applied sciences converged in Panamanian territory during its construction. At that time, and still today, the study of the soil was key to undertake one of the projects where the human being took advantage of the nature that surrounded him and created a route for world maritime trade. This is one of the topics that we will share with you in this edition of El Faro, where the talent of our Panamanian scientists is of the utmost importance.

And speaking of science and technology, we cannot fail to mention one of the most innovative transits we have witnessed, the Energy Observer, a vessel powered 100% by renewable energies. This is the future of maritime transportation, where economic progress meets the protection and conservation of our natural resources. In the coming decades, decarbonization is expected to completely transform maritime transportation, and the major shipping lines are already taking the first steps on this path… a path that the Panama Canal continues to travel for the good of all and of our nation.

Marianela Dengo de de Obaldía
Vice President for Communications and Corporate Image