A subsidiary of a Hong Kong conglomerate has started arbitration proceedings against Maersk, accusing the Danish logistics and port group of working with Panama in a scheme involving the takeover of port operations at either end of the Panama Canal, the company said. The filing adds to a web of legal actions that began after Panama seized control of two canal ports from the Hong Kong operator earlier this year and after Panamanian authorities later allowed Maersk-linked firms to resume port operations.
Panama Ports Company, a unit of Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison Holdings, said in a statement dated Tuesday that Maersk A/S “undermined” a contract over Panama Ports Company’s operations at the country’s canal ports. The company said Maersk’s conduct was intended to pave the way for a new operator affiliated with Maersk to take over the Balboa terminal.
Panama Ports Company said the arbitration will be held in London, and it did not specify what remedy it is seeking. Company arbitration, as described in the report, is a dispute-resolution process in which a neutral third party decides corporate conflicts.
The arbitration comes against the backdrop of Panama’s court ruling in February, when Panama’s government seized control of the Balboa and Cristobal ports after the country’s Supreme Court declared earlier that a concession allowing Panama Ports Company to run the ports was unconstitutional. The decision drew backlash from China, according to the report. MSI previously reported that Panama seized the key canal ports from the Hong Kong operator following the court ruling in a developing chain covering the dispute.
After the government seizure, Panama later allowed subsidiaries of Maersk and the Mediterranean Shipping Company to take over operations at the two ports. Panama Ports Company has said its arbitration claim against Maersk is distinct from other actions it is pursuing against the Panamanian government.
The company said it is seeking to hold Panama accountable for what it called “anti-contract and anti-investor conduct.” In February, Panama Ports Company started arbitration proceedings against Panama, and in late March it expanded its claims, saying damages escalated beyond $2 billion. On Tuesday, the company said its new case against Maersk remains separate from those ongoing efforts targeting Panama.
Maersk said it does not believe it is liable for Panama Ports Company’s claims and that it will address them “in the appropriate forum,” without elaborating. There was no immediate comment from Panama’s government, the report said.
The legal fight could further complicate CK Hutchison’s earlier plan to sell a bulk of its global ports, including the two canal ports. The sale plan was first announced in March 2025 and includes a consortium that involves U.S. investment firm BlackRock, in a deal valued at $23 billion. The planned sale pleased President Donald Trump, who has alleged Chinese interference with the shipping lane’s operations, but the report said it appeared to anger Beijing and that China’s antitrust regulator said last year it would initiate a review of the deal.
Since then, the parties involved in the transaction have looked for ways to move forward, including considering plans to add a Chinese investor to the consortium, according to the report.