Maritime training starts in schools

Concern that increasing Canal tolls could cripple efforts to maintain a stable energy supply in Japan was raised at a meeting with President Ricardo Martinelli and Foreign Minister, Fernando Nuñez Fabrega, in Panama recently by Japan’s Foreign Minister, Fumio Kishida.
The basis for the concern is shipping shale gas from the US and Canada to the island nation via the Panama Canal. Kishida said that shipping companies which transport the natural gas imports that Japan desperately needs, have been concerned about the continuous increases in the Canal tolls.
The shale gas is vital to Japan’s switch to fossil fuels for thermal power generation because of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, which led to almost all of Japan’s nuclear reactors being shut down for safety concerns.
As the US and Canada are currently exploiting new fields of shale gas, Japan continues to import the resource to fill the power vacuum left by the loss of the nuclear plants.
Kishida also used some economic points to leverage his Canal toll request.
He reminded Martinelli that his country is now studying ways to finance a Metro Line 3 (which will cross the Canal) as promised last year and that they are interested in supplying their advanced monorail technology for the train.
President Martinelli thanked Japan and admitted that Panama does need the Japanese loans. Kishida also asked that the Panamanian government (and Canal) start to have an open dialogue on the fee matter with Japanese shipping industry principals.
Nuñez was quoted as saying that it is very important to listen to what Canal users have to say, which is being considered a positive Panama position on the communications issue.
When talks were concluded, Kishida told the press: “I hope a dialogue with Japan’s shipping companies will be promoted and a major achievement will be scored in transporting shale gas in other areas.”
Kishida’s visit to Panama was a first for a Japanese Foreign Minister. The trip was a follow-up to a meeting in Japan between Martinelli and Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, last year.
Source: The Bulletin Panama