TOC Americas will be held in Panama on October 13-15

Panama Canal Authority CEO Jorge Quijano will be a keynote speaker at the 15th edition of TOC Americas, the annual forum for maritime container trade, transport and port professionals doing business in North and Latin America.

TOC Americas will be held in Panama on October 13-15, just as the USD5.2 billion project to widen the Panama Canal nears completion.

From next April, container vessels of up to 13,000 TEU will be able to navigate the Canal, more than doubling the current 5,000 TEU limit, a move which is expected to drive significant change in international and regional maritime trade dynamics.

The expansion comes at a time of a rapid global escalation in container ship sizes, with both North and Latin America facing a wave of big ships, both purpose-designed and as a result of cascading.

The combined impact of the expanded Panama and Suez Canals and the global trend toward big ships and shipping alliances will be a major focus of discussion at this year's TOC Americas Container Supply Chain conference, covering North American, Latin American and Caribbean perspectives.

Hosted by Panama Canal Authority, this year's event includes Container Supply Chain and TECH TOC conferences, site visits to the Panama Canal expansion site, networking receptions and exhibition of port services, equipment and technology.