Port Everglades, Panama Canal sign agreement

Port Everglades, Panama Canal sign agreement    The Panama Canal Authority and Port Everglades on Tuesday signed an agreement to encourage trade through the canal and calling at the Florida port.
   Alberto Alem'n Zubieta, canal authority chief executive officer, and Port Everglades Director Phillip C. Allen signed the agreement in Panama, with the authority and Port Everglades agreeing to exchange information about their latest modernization efforts. The two agencies will also jointly promote trade through advertising programs, data interchange and competitive market analyses of the shipping industry.
   Port Everglades' trade through the Panama Canal with the Far East and West Coast of South America reached 909,893 short tons in fiscal year 2008, or 15 percent of the port's containerized cargo throughput.
   'East Coast ports, especially ports in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia, are uniquely positioned to take advantage of shifting trade patterns, which will take place because of Panama's visionary expansion plans,' Allen said. 'Consequently, for Southeast ports, it will be crucial to expand ship berths and ensure adequate harbor depth, as these larger ships will be the norm.'