US government ships will now be able to pass through the Panama Canal without paying any fees. State Department

 No such concession has been agreed upon yet, but the Panama Canal Authority is ready for further discussions with US authorities.

Thursday, February 6, 2025

Washington (Point News Today - 06 February 2025) The US State Department has said that US government ships will now be able to pass through the Panama Canal without paying any fees. In a statement, the State Department said that the passage of US government ships through the Panama Canal without paying fees will save the US government millions of dollars.

The statement said that the Panamanian government has agreed that future fees will not be applied to US government ships passing through the Panama Canal. On the other hand, the “Panama Canal Authority”, which manages this waterway, has said that the authority has not yet agreed to grant any such concession. According to the authority, it is ready to discuss further with US authorities in this regard.

It should be noted that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio made his first visit to Central American countries after taking office. During this visit, he arrived in Panama on Sunday, where he met with Panamanian President Jose Mellon and Panama Canal officials. The US Secretary of State said that China is making unacceptable attempts to influence and control the Panama Canal. If this is not stopped, the United States may be forced to take necessary measures to protect access to the Panama Canal. Marco Rubio also visited the Panama Canal and spoke with administrative officials there. The Panama Canal is a waterway built to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, which is controlled by Panama, a country located at the junction of Central and South America. Panama collects fees from ships passing through this canal, which was built with the cooperation of the United States. The United States signed an agreement in 1977 to transfer control of the canal to the government of Panama, which came into effect in 1999. President Donald Trump has criticized the canal's usage fees and called the US decision to hand over the canal to Panama "stupid." President Trump said that Panama had not treated the United States fairly. The Panama Canal shortens the journey of ships going to or from North America to the Pacific Ocean by about 11,000 kilometers. The canal is controlled by Panama, whose constitution declares the canal a "national heritage." The canal is supervised by an independent government agency, the Panama Canal Authority. The United States uses this waterway the most, and 74 percent of the ships passing through it are American. The second largest country using the canal is China, which has a 21 percent share in the canal's traffic.