UNCTAD Highlights Resilience Of Panama Canal To The Impact Of Pandemic

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD, for its acronym in English) highlighted the resilience and capacity of the Panama Canal to adapt to the reality imposed by the pandemic, in order to protect its human team and guarantee operations of the road.

“The Panama Canal is as resilient as its staff, and adapted to the new normal quickly, including new security protocols, challenges related to teleworking and, in particular, uncertainty”, indicates UNCTAD in its Report Maritime for 2020, focused on the effects of the pandemic.

Image Credits: micanaldepanama.com

The report includes the Panama Canal as one of the organizations analyzed with lessons learned during the pandemic, and whose case shows that “everything is subject to constant and continuous improvement. A fluid situation requires frequent adjustments ”.

“The pandemic has been anything but predictable. All procedures and measures have had to be constantly reviewed for improvement, and firm and humane leadership has been necessary in order to make difficult and timely decisions with limited information ”, the document adds.

UNCTAD mentions that the Panama Canal uses innovation and communications as key tools to maintain the continuity of operations and even the spirit of the workforce.

“The Panama Canal maintained regular communications with clients to keep them up-to-date with the situation in Panama and used various channels to send information to employees regarding operational and administrative matters, share methods and advice to prevent community transmission, and to provide support. psychological, “says the report.

The UNCTAD was created in 1964 for matters related to trade, investment, and development, it is the main organ of the UN General Assembly. It is made up of 195 members and supports developing countries in their incorporation into the globalized economy.

Among the innovations implemented, UNCTAD highlights the routines of exercises and virtual concerts disseminated by the organization through digital media such as social networks, as well as a travel application that made it possible to follow up the employees who use the internal transport system.

The report reflects the actions taken in the Panama Canal to ensure the well-being of the human team, which implies measures to mitigate the risk of contagion.

“At the same time, the arrival of ships continued to be high and such measures were key to guaranteeing the safety and availability of the workforce, while maintaining efficient and smooth operations for customers,” the United Nations agency highlights. Among the transit operations, UNCTAD recalls the transit of the Zaandam and Rotterdam cruises last March in the midst of the pandemic, which was authorized for humanitarian reasons and following strict biosafety protocols.

Reference: micanaldepanama.com

Source: Maritime Shipping News