Leading users of the Panama Canal voiced outrage Tuesday at toll increases that take effect next year, calling them outsized, unfair and ill-timed. The hikes set to take effect January 1 vary by the type of ship and cargo, from 8-16 percent.
“Shippers have suffered from the decrease in traffic, and even now we face an uncertain future” after the economic crisis of 2008, Julio de La Lastra, of the Shipbuilders’ Association of Japan, told a hearing on the tolls.