Prior to its 23rd International Marketing Conference and 66th Annual Membership Meeting in Panama City, Panama earlier this month, U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council (USGBC) staff and members met with maritime shipping stakeholders about the potential benefits of incorporating ethanol into marine fuels. Photo credit: USGBC.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council (USGBC) conducted a maritime fuels mission in Panama with a delegation of ethanol industry leaders and USGBC members including Hagan Rose of Eco-Energy, Doug Berven of POET and Mark Heckman of Edeniq.
USGBC Regional Director for Latin America (LTA) Marri Tejada, USGBC Regional Ethanol Consultant Federico Salcedo and USGBC Senior Manager of Global Ethanol Export Development Ankit Chandra represented the Council in the meetings.
“Maritime fuel could be a promising opportunity for the U.S. ethanol industry, representing the next frontier in biofuel integration,” Tejada said.
“Panama is critical to the global maritime sector and developing interest in U.S. ethanol as a marine fuel input in this strategic location will elevate and highlight its benefits to the shipping industry worldwide.”
During the visit, the delegation engaged a broad range of stakeholders, including government officials, the Panama Canal Authority, private sector operators, industry associations and members of the international maritime technical community. The mission highlighted Panama’s strategic role as a global maritime hub and a potential gateway for lower-carbon fuel solutions across international shipping lanes.
A key objective was assessing the feasibility of integrating ethanol into Panama’s maritime fuel sector, aligned with the country’s decarbonization roadmap and the Canal’s evolving fuel strategy. The team evaluated regulatory, commercial and infrastructure considerations, gauging the appetite among government, industry and technical stakeholders for ethanol as a clean marine fuel. The visit also strengthened the Council’s long-standing relationships in the region, laying the groundwork for continued collaboration.
“All parties left the meetings feeling positive, having deepened relationships and positioned U.S. ethanol as a serious, scalable option for Panama’s ongoing maritime transition discussions,” Chandra said.
Read more from USGBC here.