The Panama Canal pilots have called on the directors of the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) and tugboat captains to establish a "true dialogue" in order to solve the current labor conflict.

The call came on Sunday, April 15  after a group of nearly a dozen tug captains refused last Thursday to work with only two sailors aboard the tugs used in the front of neopanamax vessels traveling through the Canal.

After the inauguration of the new locks in June 2017, three sailors were used.

"All of us who work in the ACP, both in administration and  in operations, are responsible for the success of the Canal, and that is based on guaranteeing the safety of the Canal facilities, the assets of our clients and that of ourselves; therefore, we must exhaust all efforts so that together we perform a safe, efficient and expeditious operation," said  a statement from the pilots.

The group said   that “as a party interested in maintaining the safety standards of the operation of the waterway, it  considers that the ACP should welcome the request  of the  tug captains to initiate a "true dialogue, where the differences are laid  out  and responsibilities are clarified but above all the due process that merits all investigation is respected ".

The statement concluded: "The pilots of the Panama Canal reiterate, once again, their commitment to the country and with global maritime trade, so we will continue  uninterrupted with our safe work, aware of the great responsibility that entails,"

The Maritime Safety Inspection Certificate of these vessels certificate states that the minimum crew required for these tugs is a captain, an auxiliary machinist, and two sailors, reports La Prensa.