Day-long strike at Panama ports doesn't affect canal

A daylong strike at two ports in Panama backed up containers but did little to hinder operations through the Panama Canal, Reuters reported Tuesday.



Crane operators and harbor towage workers at the ports of Balboa and Cristobal walked out in the morning over pay issues, but the problems were resolved by the evening. Shipping lines that use the ports said containers piled up as two-thirds of crane operators did not report for work.



Balboa, on the Pacific side, and Cristobal, on the Atlantic, are not directly affiliated with the canal and both operated by global terminal operator Hutchison Port Holdings. The canal authority said the strike did nothing to stop ships from transiting. 

Source: American Shipper