Maersk signaled its interest in helping develop the Panama Canal’s yet-to-be-built container terminals, as the carrier faces the prospect of its former alliance partner Mediterranean Shipping Co. taking control of Panama’s current terminal assets.

Speaking at an event Oct. 9 sponsored by Denmark’s embassy in Colombia, Maersk Chief Executive Vincent Clerc said his company may invest in the new terminals the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) hopes to build on both sides of the canal.

This summer, the ACP said it was looking to develop container terminals on the Pacific side at Corozal and on the Atlantic side near Colon. According to local press reports about the event, the ACP is starting its outreach to ocean carriers and terminal operators about the new terminal concessions, with a formal tender expected in the second half of 2026.

The new terminals are part of Panama’s response to US government concerns about Chinese conglomerate CK Hutchison owning terminals on both sides of the canal.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly pressured Panama’s government about selling the terminals to a non-Chinese firm, despite no evidence of US-bound ships receiving less preferential treatment for canal transits. ACP President Ricuarte Vasquez Morales has said the canal needs more common carrier terminal capacity.

MSC’s Terminal Investment Limited subsidiary and BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners have emerged as the leading bidders for the terminals in Colon and Balboa. The sale, though, faces a lengthy regulatory review, plus the potential inclusion of Cosco Shipping as another partner as a sop to China for approving Hutchison’s sale of the terminals. Hutchison has confirmed that a “major strategic investor from China” was looking to be part of a Hutchison acquisition.

An MSC takeover of the two terminals could shut out Maersk from an important transshipment point for its north-south services. Over the past 12 months, Maersk-operated container ships have made 1,345 calls to Panama’s ports, according to data from Sea-web, a sister product of the Journal of Commerce within S&P Global. MSC, as well, is a heavy user of Panama’s terminals, with 1,563 calls over the same time.

In April, Maersk bought the Panama Canal Railway, the short-line railroad that links the ports of Balboa and Colon. Maersk, which is the railway’s largest customer, also operates a logistics park in the country.