A.P. Moller – Maersk (Maersk) has opened a new logistics facility in Panama Pacifico, capitalising on Panama’s strategic position as a global gateway for Latin American markets.
The facility, covering 20,000 square metres in a Panama Pacific Special Economic Zone, is a centralised distribution hub for Latin America, North America, and Asia.
It allows businesses to consolidate inventory, streamline regional distribution, and accelerate time-to-market from a single, well-connected location.
Efrain Osorio, Maersk’s Managing Director for Central America, Andean, and the Caribbean, said: “The Panama Pacifico Logistics Centre empowers companies to rethink how they move goods, balancing inventory, improving visibility, and speeding up time-to-market.
“We’re giving our customers the tools to respond faster to disruptions and unlock growth across the region.”
Fully integrated into Maersk’s global logistics network, the centre offers multimodal connectivity, including direct ocean services from Asia, cross-border trucking into Central America, and several weekly ocean services.
It is designed to be a regional hub for supply chains, offering efficient connections across ocean, land, and air.
The facility supports flexible, scalable operations for omni-channel fulfilment and offers services such as inventory management, consolidation, cross-docking, labelling, kitting, re-packing, and quality control.
It is equipped with Maersk’s Warehouse Management System (WMS) for real-time inventory visibility and automation readiness.
John Carmichael, Head of Sales for Central America, Andean, and the Caribbean, stated: “The facility is linked to key infrastructure like the Pan-American Highway, airports, and the Panama Canal Railway, enabling fast, efficient freight movementbetween the Pacific and Atlantic coasts.”
The centre optimises freight with Full Truckload (FTL) and Less-than-Truckload (LTL) services, offering direct shipping to distribution centres, retailers, wholesalers, and cross-border options.
Located in Panama Pacifico, a Special Economic Zone, it provides benefits like duty and tax exemptions, streamlined customs, and flexibility for nationalised and non-nationalised cargo.
Maersk acts as the importer of record, easing compliance for customers and allowing them to focus on business growth.
Carmichael said: “Panama is not just a stopover; it’s a launchpad for transshipment, distribution, and growth. This facility provides speed, flexibility, and cost efficiency for businesses across Latin America.”
In November 2024, Maersk, through Maersk Contract Logistics in the Philippines, opened its largest distribution centre in the nation to date, a 10-hectare site in Calamba, Laguna.