Consolidating the country as a Home Port (Base Port) and Port of Call for cruise ships in the region, is one of the main priorities of the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP), as indicated by the Director General of Ports and Auxiliary Maritime Industries (DGPIMA), Max Florez.

He also explained that talks are being held with important international shipping companies to promote the arrival of cruise ships in Panamanian waters under these modalities.

“The promotion of the arrival of cruise ships in our jurisdictional waters under the modality of Home Port and Port of Escala will be one of our priorities, for this we are managing conversations with recognized international shipping companies,” Florez said.

He assured that the DGPIMA has focused on designing strategies that strengthen the image of Panama and strengthen its position in the maritime, port and logistics sector worldwide, so in this context, the AMP welcomes the decision of Royal Caribbean International (RCI) to select Panama again as the base port for its operations in the Caribbean during the 2025-2026 cruise season.

According to data from the AMP Department of Statistics, they reveal that during the 2023-2024 cruise season, 189 cruises were attended nationwide: 128 on the Atlantic coast and 61 in the Pacific.

On the other hand, the Panama Cruise Terminal, located in Amador, is a project of great national and regional relevance, and is preparing to start its fourth season on October 1, 2025, and the strategic goal of this terminal is to become the epicenter of cruise tourism in the Central American Pacific, offering a first-class infrastructure and a wide range of services.