[News Boquete] The United States Claims that Its Ships Transit the Canal Free of Charge

REPRINTED FROM NEWSROOM PANAMA

February 5, 2025

The United States Department of State confirmed on the night of Wednesday, February 5, that its vessels can now transit the Panama Canal without paying fees.  On social media, the State Department said U.S. government ships can now transit the Panama Canal without paying tariffs, which will save the U.S. government millions of dollars a year.  Information to that effect had been leaked in recent days. Bloomberg was one of the first to report it and had announced that US military vessels would not pay tolls for transiting the Panama Canal. 

The news media consulted the Panama Canal Authority about this Bloomberg report and just after 6pm on Wednesday it was reported: "The current toll structure at the Panama Canal remains the same for all users and is calculated according to the type of vessel and cargo they transport. In the case of warships, both from the United States and any other country, the toll collections are calculated based on the displacement tons and the maritime services required."  About two hours later, the State Department made the announcement that its vessels would not pay tariffs. 

This information comes amid a tense diplomatic relationship between Panama and the United States, after US President Donald Trump announced last December that he would regain control of the Panama Canal.  Trump sent a delegation of diplomats to Panama last weekend, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to meet with President José Raúl Mulino and the road administrator, Ricaurte Vásquez.  Trump argues that there was an alleged influence from China in the administration of the Canal and that the Torrijos-Carter Treaties were not being complied with.  The Canal administrator called the ACP executives to discuss Rubio's visit, while a telephone conversation between Mulino and Trump is scheduled for this Friday at 3:00 pm, with the Panama Canal as the main topic.

Another story of interest, during his stay in the isthmus, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, pictured above, visited the Miraflores locks, on the Panama Canal and he described a scene to US media: "When I was there on Sunday February 2, the ship behind me, just over my shoulder, was a cargo ship from Hong Kong, so its presence, not only in the Canal, but throughout Panama, is very worrying."  As it turns out, the ship that was passing through at that moment was not from Hong Kong, as Rubio said. It was the Panamanian-flagged vessel GAS Ares, belonging to a South Korean company.  The ship left Port Neches, Texas, United States, and was heading to Yeosu, a coastal city in southern South Korea.  It was an oil tanker that was built in 2021.  In other news, China urges Panama to resist 'external interference' from the US after the non-renewal of 'Silk Road'.

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