Michele Labrut reports for Seatrade Maritime News on how Panama is joining the shipping digital community with the first web platform in the region which allows Panamanian importers and exporters to take advantage of this maritime and air connectivity.

Recently set-up by Rommel Troetsch, www.bestfreightsearch.com or www.buscomejorflete.com is designed to facilitate competitive freight for Panama exporters and importers.

Troetsch with 34 years of experience is well-known in Panama’s port sector and twice a former president of Panama Chamber of Shipping. “This new tool saves time and labour costs in the management of freight purchases to the employer, because in a single site you can find a wide range of freight providers operating in Panama,” explained Troetsch.

The site is completely free for importers and exporters. They are not required to subscribe, providing quick access to a large number of maritime, air and land cargo transport service providers. Freight providers become members of the platform at a very low monthly membership fee.

The freight providers will make best offers, as they know they are competing with other members of the platform. The platform’s actual members are shipping lines, cargo agencies, logistics operators and any company selling freights. There are advertising spaces for other providers of cargo services.

Another advantage of the platform is that it allows entrepreneurs to better organise quotations and maintain electronic files of these, providing the entrepreneur with a good management tool for transparency in freight management. And it is user-friendly and very practicable and there is no need of special training and features an instructional video on how to use it. The website is bilingual; with simple language and easy information to fill out the request for freight quote.

The platform, which has been well received by importers and exporters, has also recently started operations in Costa Rica, Guatemala and El Salvador, Honduras, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina and progressively will be implemented throughout Central and South America and the Caribbean in the coming months, explains Troetsch.