Manzanillo International Terminal (MIT) in Colon, Panama, played host to about 70 Caribbean port managers and decision-makers at the first annual Caribbean Port Management Workshop. The Workshop, presented by the Port Management Association of the Caribbean in collaboration with Portside Caribbean and the Caribbean Maritime University, was held at the Sheraton Grand hotel in Panama City, January 22, 23 and 24, 2018.

MIT, known to be one of the most technologically advanced container terminals in the region, was the first terminal in Latin America with automatic stacking cranes (ASCs). These cranes use RFID technology to locate trucks and deliver/receive containers in the stacks. ASCs work along with gate automation to expedite the reception and delivery of containers and maximize space efficiency. Workshop participants got the opportunity to visit MIT and to see real-time operations involving some of the latest technologies now being employed in global shipping. MIT’s infrastructure consists of 2,040 metres of containership berthing and two Mediterranean-style roro berths. It is equipped with 19 ship-to-shore cranes and its container yard can handle up to 66,100 teu, with 2,106 connections for reefer (i.e., refrigerated) containers. Annual throughput capacity is 3.5 million teu. MIT has a customer base of about 30 shipping lines and agencies, providing direct coverage to 53 countries and 160 ports in the Asia, Europe, America, and Oceania.