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Abstract

Maersk's $1.5 billion Panama mega-hub is changing hemispheric trade, reducing shipping durations from Chile to Florida by 40% (18 to 11 days) and reducing CO? emissions by 32% via algorithmic routing and rail connectivity. This discovery comes as Latin America faces logistics costs 23% higher than the OECD average and 34% spoilage of perishables in transit, both devastating inefficiencies that hamper regional competitiveness. The mixed-methods analysis, which combines geospatial modeling of 12 trade corridors, stakeholder interviews with 67 shippers, and cost-benefit simulations, demonstrates how Panama's strategic shift goes beyond typical transshipment. The hub provides five dynamically optimized trade lanes, lowering transit volatility between the United States and Asia by 41% by avoiding West Coast congestion. Momentously, it enables a "nearshoring multiplier effect," resulting in a 14% increase in FDI in Mexican and Central American manufacturing as firms take advantage of Panama's 4-hour modal switching capability and bonded value-added zones. This study introduces the Panama Logistics Value Matrix (PLVM), a revolutionary framework that integrates velocity, versatility, vulnerability control, and value-added services, as well as the Trade Corridor Resilience Index, which measures systemic shock absorption. The results show $2.1 billion in yearly logistics savings for Latin American exports, a 19-day buffer against canal interruptions, and a 28% reduction in inventory costs for car manufacturers that use delayed assembly. This study identifies Panama as the critical hub for resilient, sustainable, and economically inclusive hemispheric trade, providing a reproducible template for reorganizing global supply chains in the face of growing disruptions.
Keywords: Logistics Hub, Panama Canal, Supply Chain Resilience, Nearshoring, Value-Added Services, Trade Corridors, Latin American Trade, Multimodal Transport.