some initial interest in improving
Canal safety. A former ACP official
who has also worked for General
Electric, Ricaurte Vasquez, took
over as Canal administrator,
replacing Jorge Quijano, in September.
Espino de Marotta become
deputy administrator in January,
when Manuel Benitez retired.
UCOC’s representatives called
the supposed U-turn by the new
officials over tug safety and crew
working hours a ‘sham’.
Members picketed ACP offices in
December, but officials said many
were scared to join for fears of
further reprisals. ‘The personnel
policies toward us continue as
usual.’
It was a black Christmas for
UCOC members, particularly those
28 SUOMEN MERENKULKU J FINLANDS SJÖFART
who were suspended during the
holidays. ‘Management remains
undeterred, deaf and aloof from
reality,’ officials said.
UCOC will continue to push for
the suspension of its members from
duty to be dropped and for compensation
to be made. It has called for
tug captains’ schedules to be
reviewed to reduce fatigue and for
the second captain to be returned to
each vessel.
UCOC wants ACP to introduce
written hours of service rules that
govern tug captain scheduling and
an upper limit to the number of
continuous hours tugboat captains
can work. If it fails to do so,
casualties due to tug Captain fatigue
will continue, UCOP said. •
The Varela files
In November 2019 a group of citizen activists published online leaked WhatsApp messages
from former Panamanian president Juan Carlos Varela’s lost mobile phone. The scandal had
a huge impact on politicians and notorious members of the ruling and economic powers
exposing corruption, with the Attorney General Kenya Porcell forced to quit.
Here is a transcript of Varela’s conversation with former Canal Minister Roberto Roy
informing the former president about planned events of April 12 2018, and the disputed
paralysation of the Canal from union action.
10 APRIL 2018 05:21 ROBERTO ROY
The captains want a third person on the tugboat that the administration believes is not
necessary. The problem is that today they have refused to pass certain ships and we will
lose three ships in the day. We will see it in directive.
12 APRIL 2018 12:35 ROBERTO ROY
Just to inform you that the tugboat captains keep complaining about their third seaman.
We will try to manage it with the support of the directive, but it is a matter directly
of course of the administration.
12 APRIL 2018 01:48 JUAN CARLOS VARELA
This is crazy.
13 APRIL 2018 06:30 ROBERTO ROY
The administrator and the directors have discussed this and the decision was made
to dispose of fire/sack two captains. The process will begin immediately.
The consensus is that there has to be a strong grasp for these things not
to happen anymore.
13 APRIL 2018 06:38 JUAN CARLOS VARELA
I agree.
F UCOC officials and
members picket
ACP offices.
IMAGE: UCOC