First female administrator in the Panama Canal's history takes the helm

PANAMA CITY (AP) — Naval engineer Ilya Espino de Marotta takes the helm Monday as the first woman to lead the Panama Canal administration, stepping into the role at a challenging time for the vital maritime route.

Buoyed by her leadership of the multi-billion-dollar expansion project last decade, Espino moves up from deputy administrator to take full command of the canal. Only three other Panamanians have held the position since the United States handed over the interoceanic waterway in late 1999.

Her appointment to the canal’s top post is already seen as a symbol of women's capability for executive leadership roles in the industry. The canal serves as the engine of the Panamanian economy and handles nearly 3% of global maritime trade.

Shortly before taking office, Espino told The Associated Press that her priority would be advancing the project to build a reservoir on the Indio River within the canal’s watershed. The $1.5 billion project aims to secure drinking water for 50% of the Central American nation’s 4 million people and to support the future operation of the canal, opened by the U.S. in 1914.

The canal’s Board of Directors had previously appointed her to lead this $1.5 billion plan, which encompasses community resettlement and environmental considerations. It is the largest project since the waterway’s expansion, which opened in June 2016 at a cost exceeding $5.25 billion. Officials expect the reservoir to be completed by late 2031 or 2032.

For Espino, the goal is to guarantee future water supplies without compromising reliability in the eyes of the shipping industry. If customers perceive that the canal is not seeking a long-term water solution, they could shift their cargo to other routes.

That project, which has sparked protests from certain communities, is taking on greater significance as the canal faces another period of low rainfall caused by the El Niño phenomenon, which recently led waterway authorities to restrict the number of ships making the daily crossing between the Atlantic and the Pacific.

As the second-highest-ranking official at the canal serving under outgoing administrator Ricaurte Vásquez, she experienced the tension caused by complaints and warnings regarding the waterway voiced by U.S. President Donald Trump both before and after he assumed office.

Trump threatened to retake control of the canal, citing Chinese influence over the waterway and claiming that U.S. shipping companies were being treated unfairly.

The country’s judiciary ruled unconstitutional the port concessions at both entrances held by a Hong Kong consortium. That ruling followed the announcement of a planned acquisition of those and other ports by a U.S. investment fund, a deal that has since stalled.

Espino told the AP that her responsibility over the next seven years at the helm of the canal will be to maintain operations that are “efficient, neutral, and transparent.” She said that diplomatic matters are the responsibility of the Panamanian state.