: LA Port Chief The global shipping bottlenecks rattling industries and consumers in the pandemic era were plain to see for the politicians, economists and investors gathering for a Latin American economic forum in Panama on Wednesday. There were 101 vessels waiting their turn to make the 40-mile journey across the Panama Canal Wednesday, six more than the average so far this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The canal saw record amounts of cargo pass through its locks in its most recent fiscal year as an easing of trade restrictions between China and the US opened up the market for grains, pork and liquefied natural gas. The number of vessels to cross the Panama Canal are slightly above average The $5.25 billion expansion of the passage that opened in 2016 allows larger ships from Asia to more easily reach the […]