Earlier this month, U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council (USGBC) Senior Manager of Global Ethanol Export Development Ankit Chandra traveled to Panama City, Panama to participate in Maritime Week Americas 2026 along with fellow U.S. ethanol industry stakeholders.
The Council’s team also included USGBC Latin America (LTA) Ethanol Strategy Lead Federico Salcedo. Council members were also well represented at the event with leaders from Growth Energy, Marquis Energy and POET in attendance.
“Ethanol is already making great strides in reducing the carbon impact of other transportation sectors like on-road and aviation, and maritime shipping represents the next step in growing ethanol’s profile as a dependable, affordable and available fuel supply,” Chandra said.
The delegation toured the Panama Canal and met with local authorities in maritime transit, including the Panama Maritime Chamber, the Panamanian Ministry of the Environment and the Latin America Regional Maritime Technology Cooperation Centre (MTCC).
The next day, the Council co-hosted with Growth Energy a workshop focused on ethanol’s applications in marine fuel and how U.S. producers can supply the shipping industry.
Specific seminar sessions included deep dives into corn production scales, the readiness of current fleets to incorporate ethanol as a fuel source and the carbon reduction capabilities of ethanol in marine fuel.
“Panama is a hub for international shipping and gathering vital industry leaders from the public and private sectors there was the perfect opportunity to share U.S. producers’ capabilities to sustainably grow the inputs needed to meet maritime fuel demand,” Chandra said.
“Many major logistics companies have already shown strong interest in transitioning their fuel supplies to less carbon-intensive alternatives and the Council is positioning U.S. ethanol at the forefront of those conversations.”
Learn more about the Council’s work in ethanol on the organization’s website.