Panama Flagged vessels – Pre-arrival checklists

C25046 | 02 September 2025

Notice to: Ship Owners/ Managers/ Operators

The Panama Maritime Authority has issued Merchant Marine Circular MMC-404, which unifies MMC-381, MMC-393, MMC-398, and MMC-402.

The Circular advises that a compulsory pre-arrival checklist has been created. This checklist must be sent to prearrival@amp.gob.pa one hundred and twenty hours (120 hrs) before the vessel arrives at ports under the United States Coast Guard (USCG), Paris MoU, Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) and the People’s Republic of China Maritime Safety Administration (MSA).

For voyages of less than 96 hours (96hrs), the Pre-arrival checklist must be sent at least twenty-four hours (24hrs) before arrival at the port.

The checklist is to be signed by the vessel’s Master and/or the company Designated Person Ashore (DPA), failure to do so may result in administrative sanctions being imposed on the Master, Chief Engineer and/or the company.
Passenger vessels are not required to submit the checklist.

In case of extraordinary issues, such as equipment failure or any other situations that cannot be resolved on board immediately, ship-owners, operators, technical managers, the DPA or the vessel´s Master, is to immediately coordinate the correction action plan, timelines and risk assessments, with the vessel Recognized Organization (RO) and Segumar Offices, and at the same time, report immediately to the appropriate authorities of the port state.

Act now

Ship Owners, Managers, Operators, are to take note of the above and be guided accordingly