Country United States Owned by City of Panama City | Location Panama City, Florida Type of harbor Cargo | |
Operated by Panama City Port Authority Operator Panama City Port Authority | ||
The Port of Panama City is a port located on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway in Panama City, Florida. The port is overseen by the Port Authority of Panama City which was initiated in 1945.
History
Originally the deed for the land of the Port Panama City was conducted for Panama City Shipbuilding Corporation on January 21, 1939. The land was known as the Wainwright Shipyard because of the high production of ships and tankers created for World War II which lasted from July 1942 to 1945. At the time, the shipyard had 18,000 to 30,000 workers who created 102 liberty ships and 6 tankers. By 1945, the Panama City Port Authority was created which helped the government convert the shipyard into a dismantling area for ships for scrap.
During the 1950s, the port authority started granting leasing areas for industrial development. However the dismantling process the government granted continued into the mid 1960s until the city bought the land from the government in order to expand the industrial development for the port authority. Formal operations for the current port was developed in 1967 with the creation of a deep water berth. Further developments included warehouses, cargo equipment, and tenant bases which helped the port expand.