There is a significant potential for increased capacity for ports on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal when the expansion of the Canal is completed and ready to handle bigger ships, and thus more cargo, says analysts Drewry in a new analysis.

"The Panama Canal Authority expects its Pacific coast container port volumes to reach 6 million teu after the expanded canal is opened in 2016, a massive 75 percent increase on estimated 2014 throughput levels (gateway and transshipment). The timescale for this anticipated increase in demand is not clear though," says Drewry.