THE REPUBLIC OF PANAMA TO RECEIVE PRESTIGIOUS INTERNATIONAL AWARD FOR THE EXPANSION PROJECT IN 2008

PANAMA CITY, Panama, August 01, 2007 – The Republic of Panama is honored to receive the prestigious Samoter 2008 “Best Construction Project in the World” award for the Panama Canal expansion.

The Samoter International Award honors those that contribute to the development of construction at both national and international levels. The official ceremony and presentation of the 2008 award will take place in Verona, Italy, on March 5, 2008.

“We are honored by this recognition and I share this with the best asset of the Canal – our hard-working world-class work force. Our mandate from the Panamanian people last October was clear – they are for the expansion of the Canal; and, we are already making great progress with the project and look forward to its continued success,” said ACP Administrator/CEO Alberto Alemán Zubieta.

Expansion will build a new lane of traffic along the Panama Canal through the construction of a new set of locks, which will double capacity and allow more traffic and longer, wider ships.

The Samoter International Award is a highly-regarded and sought-after global honor assigned by VeronaFiere since 1973 to distinguished figures whose work on behalf of development and success in building and site activity, has helped consolidate major entrepreneurial systems on an economic and social scale. The Award may be granted to a country, a public or private company or a machine builder or draftsman.

About the Panama Canal Authority
The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) is the autonomous agency of the Government of Panama in charge of managing, operating and maintaining the Panama Canal. The ACP is governed by its organic law and the regulations approved by its Board of Directors. For more information, please refer to the Panama Canal Authority’s Web site: http://www.pancanal.com/. For Panama Canal video, please visit www.thenewsmarket.com/panamacanal.