Can the Panama Canal Handle the Iran Fallout?

Ricaurte Vásquez Morales, Administrator of the Panama Canal Authority, the man responsible for a waterway offering many shippers an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, joins Jay Sapsford to discuss global trade, energy, and strategic infrastructure.The Panama Canal already carries 5% of the world's maritime trade and 40% of all U.S. container traffic. Now, the short-cut between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans faces growing demand after the Iran conflict has forced a real-time rerouting of global shipping. And that surge comes just as Panama was already under intense public scrutiny.Mr. Morales’ team had just addressed a water shortage crisis when a fight broke out between the U.S. and China – its two largest customers - over who operates the terminals on either side of the waterway. Now, the authority is pushing an ambitious expansion to boost its water supply, expand container capacity, and build a new energy pipeline.Morales speaks to what all of this means for the companies that move goods through a consequential 50-mile stretch of water, and what business leaders should expect from one of the world's busiest chokepoints.-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk