CONSTRUCTION STARTS ON EXPANSION OF BALBOA BOX TERMINAL

CONSTRUCTION STARTS ON EXPANSION OF BALBOA BOX TERMINAL    Panama Ports Co., a subsidiary of the Hutchison global terminal operator, has started construction work on the third phase of development of its Balboa Container Terminal, located at the Pacific end of the Panama canal.
   Panama Ports will invest $200 million in the expansion program.
   After completion of phase three of the development, the Balboa container terminal will provide 840 meters (about 2,800 feet) of quay length, 12.9 meters (42 feet) of draft and 15.4 hectares (38 acres) of container yard equipped with eight “super-post-Panamax” quay container cranes. The terminal will have an annual handling capacity of one million TEUs.
   “It has always been our intention to establish Balboa as one of the largest hub ports on the Pacific coast of the Americas,” said John Meredith, group managing director of Hutchison Port Holdings and president of Panama Ports.
   Meredith said that further phases will be constructed in the future at the Balboa terminal to meet demand.