Good news for ship owners. The incoming US president is going to make shipping less expensive or else.
President-elect Donald Trump has demanded Panama reduce fees on the Panama Canal or return it to US control, accusing the central American country of charging “exorbitant prices” to American shipping and naval vessels.
“The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, highly unfair,” he told a crowd of supporters in Arizona on Sunday.
“This complete rip-off of our country will immediately stop,” he said, referring to when he takes office next month.
“If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question,” Trump continued. “To the Officials of Panama, please be guided accordingly!”
Someone should ask trump if he is talking about the handful of US flag ships that actually use the Canal being charged exorbitant amounts - because we only have 80ish foreign trading ships compared to China’s 5,500. Granted we also have a handful of US “coastwise” ships that use the canal. Or is he talking about the US companies that build foreign ships in China and Korea and hire Indians and Russians and Chinese to crew their vessels of which we are entirely dependent on to export American products and LNG?
Starting Space Force, visiting North Korea to try to normalize relations & trying to buy Greenland are all ego driven, legacy building undertakings IMO. Perhaps Trump wants to build or help build another means to get cargo between the Atlantic & Pacific Oceans? With the water crisis in Panama & in the Canal, it might not be such a bad idea? Below is a plan with many pitfalls some consider? Also, building here on the Mexican Isthmus should help Mexico secure it’s Southern Border. I bet Trump & many immigration/border security advocates would help Mexico build up this corridor if they got some border security assurances in return. Building a wall across the Mexican Isthmus would probably be cheaper than building a wall across the US Southern Border?
Sounds to me like a perfect excuse for Panama to turn to China to protect it from the USA. The enemy of your enemy is your friend. And someone is making enemies.
And while we’re on the subject if foreign policy, what about Trump’s comments about making Canada the “51st State”? Or annexing Greenland?
Perhaps all of this is just Trump’s typical rambling that will to nothing.
Perhaps President Musk will forbid him.
Or perhaps those who believed Trump would show restraint in foreign polucy were played for fools.
At least a war would be good for shipping, and when APL and Maersk end their U.S. Flag services, their ships can be siezed under the war powers act.
Of course China may sieze, or worse yet (for the crews) intern U.S. Flag ships in China
I’m old enough to remember when Reagan explained to the left that tariffs were a tax on the U.S. consumer, and the U.S. leavinng NATO was a major policy plank of the Socialist Workers Party.
It’s already managed by a Hong Kong firm that is controlled by China. The below is now a Pro-China newspaper that says as such. I say “now” because in the past this media outlet was considered unbiased but that changed when the Chinese government threw the owner, Jack Ma, in jail. Now the newspaper says whatever Beijing wants it to.
I’ve read the treaty before, and I’m still trying to figure out which principles he’s suggesting are not being followed.
The canal isn’t managed by a Hong Kong firm, two ports, one at either end are. Strategic for sure, but to suggest that a port operator sets the canal sailing schedule and not the Canal Authority is naive at best.
I too find it a bit funny what @Sailor51 said…which of our ships are even going through there regularly enough as to be “rip[ped]-off”?
He might have an issue with a Amendment 1 in the Treaty to which we are a Party:
The correct interpretation of this principle is that each of the two countries shall, in accordance with their respective constitutional processes, defend the Canal against any threat to the regime of neutrality, and consequently shall have the right to act against any aggression or threat directed against the Canal or against the peaceful transit of vessels through the Canal This does not mean, nor shall it be interpreted as, a right of intervention of the United States in the internal affairs of Panama. Any United States action will be directed at insuring that the Canal will remain open, secure, and accessible, and it shall never be directed against the territorial integrity or political independence of Panama.
We built the canal via a treaty, and we gave it back via two treaties, one of which is still in force. As much as some might like, the Canal Zone that was once under US control ceases to exist.
It’s actually a clever ploy that dictators just love. They spew as much bellicose bullshit as possible to whip up the cult. It sucks up the media cycle, so it’s all about the dictator, 24/7. It also forces the dictator’s detractors to spend their time commenting on the bullshit, allowing the cult’s talking heads to claim their Leader’s opponents have ‘derangement syndrome’ because they are spending all their time commenting on the bellicose bullshit.
The key is to dominate the media cycle with the dictator’s name all the time. The cult must be fed.
Interesting hypothesis. I’m going to do a little gCaptain forum experiment to see if true or not? I think you are correct but lets find out. Starting with this thread, I’ll keep count of how many threads are started concerning Trump. How many from Trump supporters & how many from Anti-Trumpers to see which cult the media is feeding the most. As of 12.23.24, day 1, Team Anti-Trump leads 1-0.
Now you’re getting it. It doesn’t matter if the threads are pro- or anti-. The point is precisely to keep the Leader’s name in the news-cycle. Good, bad, doesn’t matter. Start up polls and counts and things. Raffles. Prizes. Distractions,
Of all the things going on in the country is the acquisition of Greenland really the top priority? I mean, I worry about the earthly paradise called Greenland slipping through our fingers yet again. Who doesn’t? But does the average American worry enough about it? That’s the question.
And how many Americans are telling their wives tonight, “Geez, sorry I can’t get it up tonight, Honey. I’m so gosh-darned worried about the high price of Panama Canal transits…”
As long as the news cycle is dominated with bellicose bullshit, the Leader doesn’t have to worry about running the country.
Gonna replace Obamacare this time. Got a real plan this time. Where is it? Same place as the plans for the homeless crisis, and the mental health care crisis. All those kooks on the streets. Got the plans right here. Somewhere.
But first let’s talk about how windmills are killing whales. You conk a whale on the head with a windmill and you got one crazy whale. So, it’s the same thing as mental-unhealthies. More important, really. Cuz they’re bigger.
How about social security shortfalls? Big issue. Wanna share the solution for that with everyone. Because it’s big. Top priority. Got the plan right here. Don’t want to kick that plan down the road. So–just hear this out-- maybe send the old people to Greenland? It’s cool, moist–better for the skin than Florida. You see what I did there? A win-win. And ship the homeless through the Panama Canal for reduced transits costs to–Mexico? And a wall, maybe? Ok. You see the logic here.
I think it does. I can’t see how anyone could vote for Trump without holding their noses & ignoring the bullshit. I don’t think any self proclaimed Christian, supposedly Trumps base, could go into the voting booth thinking about him bragging about grabbing women by their crotches, Stormy Daniels & his foul mouth to vote for Trump. I think Pro-Trumpers do as I do & just ignore it. They forget about it & focus on issues that concern them. From what I can tell, his base wants a secure US border, a sense of national security/patriotism & de-escalation of wars that can lead to getting their kids & grandkids killed. It’s the Anti-Trumper cult who feeds off the distractions that you find dangerous. You won’t find a Pro-Trumper discussing nuking hurricanes or cheering on an imaginary Project 2025 hoax/distraction. IMO, the reason Trumps victory in 2024 was so decisive was the Anti-Trump media allowed the Anti-Trump cult to be rope-a-dope’ed until every liberal punch was meaningless. I’ll keep count but suspect the MAGA’s will ignore the bs while the other cult will fixate on every molehill hoping to build a mountain as you describe. Political rope a dope orchestrated by the liberal media imo.
Agenda 2025 is quite real, you should do some homework.
The reality is Trump.tells his base what they want to hear.
Why don’t you take a moment and find out how many of Trump’s former cabinet members, people whom Trump selected, and worked closely with him during his first administration, people who Trump selected, and worked closely with him during his first term, have said he is unfit to be president.
That’s what I’m saying, the US isn’t a maritime nation anymore. We have barely have any US flagged ships and we have only a handful that go through the Canal. I am perplexed because I’m trying to figure out who had the presidents ear? Is it the US companies that own foreign built and crewed vessels that he’s stating he wants the fees reduced for OR if it is actually fighting for US companies that fly the Stars and Stripes. I wonder what US company and vessel regularly uses the Canal and was able to get the presidents ear?
I think everyone can agree that the US giving back the Panama Canal for nothing was a big fat mistake. Our government could have been collecting billions in fees from it. And the US essentially built the Canal and have Panama its freedom.
Don’t forget the Panama also screws over American mariners, shipyards, etc etc with their flag of convenience. Panama has been ripping off the US with their flag of convenience possibly more than the Canal itself.
If memory serves, I believe the US had a heavy hand in making FOC a thing, starting with Panama in the 20s.
Seems the only tangible benefit we receive today from the canal is warships jumping the line in case if emergency. Not sure if the opportunity to spend tax dollars on defending the canal is a benefit, but I guess it’s valuable skin in the diplomatic game.
I don’t want to join your guy’s pissing contest, but in this case its the incoming leader of this country very publicly speaking directly to the leader of an ally, on concurrent days, in a speech and social media, and is being reported on not just by the “liberal media” but by international outlets, maritime outlets (two or three articles on this site alone), and both countries and governments involved. It’s been a molehill in some circles since 1977; but someone decided this week to make it a mountain and it wasn’t the media.
You’re going to be real busy trying to school the weak minded on the ludicrousness of a man making mountains out of molehills while those who you consider weak minded just ignores the nonsense, don’t fall for it & moves on with their life. This is what freighterman1 was talking about. Trump is going to rope-a-dope you folks with something new every week. Swing away.
