If Panama wishes to remain competitive in the bunkering business, it requires an anchorage area in the Atlantic sector and also in the Pacific. Thus concluded this Wednesday, the virtual forum “Present and future of bunkering”, organized by the magazine “Panorama Marítimo and Logistics. ”Bunkering or marine fuel supply is the third component that contributes the most to the country’s economy, after ports and the Panama Canal. Until last August, bunkering suffered a contraction of 10.9%, according to figures from the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP). Situation that has slowed down since March with the declaration of the covid-19 pandemic. Despite the foregoing, Panama is still working on a project to develop a new anchorage area for neopanamx vessels near Las Minas bay, in the province of Colón. The aforementioned was confirmed during the forum by Eric Robinson, head of Concessions of the Ports Directorate of the AMP, who stated that “the project is still in place and I think it will be one of the first places that will be enabled for the operation of fuel”, after some representatives of shipping companies – who operate in the country – expressed the urgent need to designate an area in the Atlantic to supply the ships. For his part, Miguel Rodríguez, in charge of the Operations Directorate of the shipping company O NE, pointed out that it is necessary to have areas outside the breakwater in the Atlantic sector for fuel supply. “The area near Las Minas bay, where the corresponding studies have already been carried out, the operation could be carried out (…) it is also necessary to analyze costs, or as it is known cut and run, for anchoring to be supplied in more than one occasion ”, he indicated. Meanwhile, the deputy administrator of the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), Ilya Espino de Marotta, commented that the entity is investing $ 54 million in an anchorage area for neopanamax vessels within the Atlantic breakwater, but basically to meet the needs of the waterway, allowing shorter times for bunkering and not longer than 12 or 13 hours.Espino de Marotta highlighted that despite the fact that Panama built the Canal expansion for nine years, it did not see business as a country related, including bunkering.