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Trade opportunities between Honduras and the U.S. East Coast

Honduran daughter brings her ship to home port

Just before Christmas Day the MV SCAN SWAN, a 300 Ice Class Twin Deck vessel with two 50 ton cranes sailed into Puerto Cortes under a Danish flag carrying buses, trucks, 18 wheelers and all types heavy equipment from the United States. 

The shipper is Anabel Panayotti. Ms. Panayotti, originally from La Ceiba where she was born in 1961, grew up and got her start in business working in the family department store CASA PANAYOTTI. The Panayotti family arrived in Honduras in 1908 and started CASA PANAYOTTI in 1911. Today, in addition to the department store, they also have the Panayotti Shopping Mall in La Ceiba.

Imported buses arrive at their destination.

After completing her Masters in Business Administration in the U.S., Ms. Panayotti was employed by Dole Fresh Fruit at the Port of Wilmington, Delaware overseeing their northbound and southbound commercial cargo for seven years. The Port of Wilmington, Delaware is the largest importer of bananas in the U.S. 

Certified by the Federal Maritime Commission as a freight forwarder and Non-Vessel-Operating-Common Carrier (NVOCC), in 1998 she started her own shipping business, Port to Port International Corp, near the Delaware River. Port to Port International began by specializing in the shipment of pre-owned vehicles from the Port of Wilmington to Central American ports in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and in transit to El Salvador and Nicaragua using Dole and Great White Fleet (Chiquita) container ships. The company has steadily grown to include the consolidation and shipment of heavy equipment. Another reason for its growth has been timely, professional service and competitive pricing. In 2000 Port to Port International Corp had grown to become the largest shipper of pre-owned vehicles from the Port of Wilmington to Central America. It services clients from as far south as North Carolina, as far north as Massachusetts, and as far west as Chicago, Illinois. 

The maiden voyage of MV SCAN SWAN into Honduran waters signals a new breakbulk liner service provided by Port to Port International in alliance with Storm Maritime Ltd. of Port Salem, N.J. The vessel will sail regularly, calling on ports in Central American and the Caribbean, from its port of origin on the Delaware River which services the shipping needs of the entire Northeast coast of the US. She is looking to develop breakbulk northbound cargo from Central American ports for the return haul. Encouraging trade between her native country, Honduras, and the U.S. is an objective Ms. Panayotti is well prepared to achieve. For more information about the services Port to Port International offers in Honduras contact Customer Service representatives at the Delaware headquarters 001- 302-654-2444, email anabelp@porttoportintl.com or the Honduras ship agent in Puerto Cortes, Miguel Estrada, country code 504-665-2830.

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Spain supports Honduran handicraft production

The Spanish Cooperation Agency provided a Lps. 3 million fund (approximately $187,500) to strengthen the handicraft industry in Honduras. The Agency will work in conjunction with the Honduran Promotion and Rescue Program of Traditional and Indigenous Handicraft Production (PROPAITH), and the Indigenous Handicraft Training Center of Intibuca (CICAI). 

The resources will be channeled by the Ministry of Culture and will go directly to financing these institutions' programs, which are aimed at training highly qualified handicraft producers, and elevating their international marketing and productivity levels. Jose Jorge Salgado, the Ministry's Art director stated that at least 12 handicraft producer groups will be benefited with training workshops in the areas of micro-enterprise management and introduction of new models based on traditional techniques and local prime material. 

"This financing will define an immense marketing plan derived from a current supply and demand diagnosis," said Salgado. The project will begin in January and will be carried out by the technical, administrative and training personnel of PROPAITH and CICAI.