Unifeeder opens new office in Panama City
Unifeeder Group has continued its expansion in Latin America (LATAM) with the opening of its first office in the region, located in Panama City. This latest investment follows the opening of new routes across LATAM, as the business seeks to unlock trade and boost economic growth in the region.
The new Panama team will support the Unifeeder businesses across LATAM in close coordination with global HQ in Aarhus, Denmark. Unifeeder will handle more than 200,000 twenty-foot containers (TEUs) and complete 800 port calls in the region in 2024 and has plans to develop its LATAM operations further in the coming years.
Unifeeder is a leading multi-regional feeder and container operator, transferring goods to and from smaller ports to hub ports for further transportation. It is a core part of DP World and serves hundreds of ports throughout Europe, Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, Middle East, Africa and the Americas.
Unifeeder’s latest expansion across LATAM started in 2023, as part of its strategic focus on the Americas as a significant location for regional and global trade. The routes are now as follows:
- March 2023 -- Hispaniola-Puerto Rico service was introduced to increase the flow of cargo between the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Puerto Rico.
- February 2024 -- a new Colombia-Panama service started, to benefit exporters of timesensitive products such as fresh fruit, including bananas. It provides containerised cargo between the North Colombian ports of Turbo, Santa Marta, Cartagena, Barranquilla and Manzanillo in Panama.
- April 2024 -- new direct feeder services connecting ports in Venezuela with the ABC islands have commenced, offering competitive transit time and schedule reliability, whilst accommodating containers of all types and sizes. The first service connects Manzanillo in Panama with Oranjestad in Aruba and Willemstad in Curaçao. A second service is connecting Manzanillo and Cartagena in Colombia with three ports in Venezuela: Maracaibo, Guanta and Guaranao.
Jesper Kristensen, Group CEO at Unifeeder Group and Group COO Marine Services at DP World, commented, "At Unifeeder, we deliver flexible and agile global supply chain solutions. Opening offices in key markets including Panama and introducing new direct feeder services means we can not only offer enhanced logistics options to our customers, but also create a positive impact on the local economy. This echoes DP World Marine Services’ commitment to comprehensive global solutions for the maritime industry.”
Morten Johansen, EVP Americas, DP World, remarked, “Latin America is home to major emerging markets and abundant natural resources, particularly agricultural products. It is therefore an important logistics and supply chain hub for the regional and global economy. As DP World continues to expand in the region, the opening of our first office in Panama and the introduction of new feeder coverage represent a key step forward in our strategy to become the logistics partner of choice in the region. I look forward to working with our customers in the region to develop solutions that ultimately enhance prosperity and lives and livelihoods.”
Unifeeder Group is committed to delivering tailored, agile, and scalable network solutions to customers across the world and fostering seamless trade flow to strengthen economic bonds locally and internationally. The business’ presence across multiple regions allows it to offer cost and carbonefficient feedering by connecting hub ports at both ends of ocean transport.
Since October 2022, DP World, Unifeeder’s parent company, has successfully introduced 19 new shipping routes, enhancing connectivity between key ports worldwide. These routes seamlessly connect key ports, creating a robust network that enhances trade opportunities for businesses across diverse sectors.