Audit finds Hong Kong company breached Panama Canal ports contract

A US Coast Guard vessel anchored at the naval base at the entrance of the Panama Canal in Panama City [File: Bienvenido Velasco/EPA]

Auditors in Panama have reported that the Hong Kong-based owner of key Panama Canal ports has violated the terms of its contract.

Comptroller-General Anel Flores announced on Monday that the audit had found “many breaches” of the concession awarded to Hong Kong-based logistics giant CK Hutchison to operate the Balboa and Cristobal ports, which sit close to the Panama Canal.