ANALYSIS OF MARITIME TRANSPORT SECTOR IN PANAMA (1970-2009)

Abstract

On this article was made an analysis of the importance of the maritime transportation sector in Panamá. The statistics prove that this is the main traffic network of merchandise, with less cost, security and efficiency. For these reasons, the sector of maritime transportation is passing through technologic changes on the infrastructure of ships, ports and logistics strategies to attend the request of the cargo capacity to be transported. This way, the general objective of this paper is to analyze the development of this sector in Panama and its increase, inside the general perspective of the worldwide maritime industry. A survey was made about the history of this industry, characterizing the maritime transportation sector, determining the main technical and operational changes that occurred since 1970. The research also indicate that, how Panama is getting prepared to envisage the request for this activity. Key words: Marine transportation; Panamá; Trading. Artigo recebido em 03 fev. 2011.