Hong Kong conglomerate says Panama Canal ports seized by authorities

CK Hutchison says the Panamanian government has taken ‘administrative and operational control’ of its two ports on the canal.Published On 24 Feb 2026The government of Panama has seized control of two ports on either end of the Panama-canal" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="8414" data-entity-type="location">Panama Canal from a Hong Kong conglomerate following a recent ruling by the country’s Supreme Court.Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison said on Tuesday that Panama’s government had “made direct physical entry into the terminals at Balboa and Cristobal” and assumed “administrative and operational control” over the two ports on the Panama-canal" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="8414" data-entity-type="location">Panama Canal.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Moscow policeman killed in bomb attack on Ukraine war anniversarylist 2 of 4Afghanistan bombing: What’s Pakistan’s strategy as India-Taliban ties grow?list 3 of 4North Korea promotes Kim Jong Un’s sister as he vows to boost economylist 4 of 4FedEx sues US government for tariff refund after Supreme Court rulingend of listThe company said the “unlawful” takeover reflects the culmination of a campaign by the Panamanian state against its subsidiary, Panama Ports, following the Supreme Court ruling last month.According to a government decree, the Panama-maritime-authority" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="35340" data-entity-type="organization">Panama Maritime Authority has been authorised to occupy the ports for “reasons of urgent social interest”, according to The Associated Press (AP) news agency.The maritime authority also has the right to take over port property, including computer systems and cranes, according to the decree.The state takeover marks the latest twist in a yearlong saga for CK Hutchison, which has been caught in a three-way fight between China, the United States, and Panama following US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House last year.Starting in December 2024, Trump began to allege that the Panama-canal" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="8414" data-entity-type="location">Panama Canal was being operated by China and promised to “take it back” – using military force if necessary – as part of a greater effort to reassert US dominance over the Western Hemisphere.Last month, Panama’s Supreme Court ruled that CK Hutchison’s concession to operate the two ports was “unconstitutional” despite the company renewing its concession in 2021 for another 25 years.