Talks go on, but parties divided in Panama Canal construction dispute
Source:transportweekly 2014-2-21 10:55:00
The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) reports that despite efforts to agree with Grupo Unidos por el Canal (GUPC) to resume work on the new locks, positions between the parties remain apart while talks continued this week.
Despite early agreements on certain items, serious disagreements remain, particularly when it comes time to put agreed points in writing, according to the ACP.
The ACP insisted that work on the new locks resumes immediately through its proposal that each party contribute US$100 million, while a definite agreement is reached.
The ACP considered this week critical to make a decision in order for the construction to restart as soon as possible.
The ACP and the CEO of the companies comprising GUPC (Sacyr Vallehermoso SA (Spain), Impregilo SpA (Italy), Jan de Nul Group (Belgium) and Panama's Constructora Urbana SA) held a telephone conference where they reviewed main points such as delivery times for the gates and how the remainder of the project is to be completed. Since not all the points were evaluated, the parties agreed to resume talks morning, according to Shipping Gazette.