Panama ports concession dispute
The Panamanian Supreme Court ruling of January 2026 on the Balboa and Cristobal port concession, and why it did not affect canal operations.
The Panamanian Supreme Court ruled the Panama Ports Company concession unconstitutional on 29 January 2026, striking down the 1997 concession over the container terminals at Balboa and Cristobal and its 2021 extension. The ruling became final on publication in the Gaceta Oficial on 23 February 2026, and the state moved to interim arrangements for both terminals.
The full article will cover the grounds of the ruling, the executive measures that followed, the interim operating arrangements and the tender process, and the arbitration that has followed. It will also state plainly the distinction that most coverage of the dispute blurs: Balboa and Cristobal are terminals licensed by the Autoridad Maritima de Panama, not part of the Panama Canal, and the Panama Canal Authority’s transit scheduling, tolls, pilotage and admeasurement functions were unaffected.