A unit of Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison said on Tuesday it had widened its claims in an international arbitration case against Panama, saying damages had now risen to more than $2 billion.Panama Ports Company, which for nearly three decades operated the Balboa and Cristobal terminals near the Panama Canal
China's COSCO Shipping has suspended operations at Balboa port which is located at the entrance to the Panama Canal, according to local newspaper La Prensa, which published a notice to clients from the shipping and logistics conglomerate.Balboa is one of the two ports at the center of a year-long saga involving Washington, Beijing and the Panamanian government.
Panama's maritime authority on Thursday said it had canceled in January of last year the flag of the M Sophia, a Venezuela-linked oil tanker seized by the U.S. military this week.The U.S. military's Southern Command on Wednesday said it had intercepted the M Sophia before dawn, and described it as a "stateless, sanctioned dark fleet motor tanker.