
China COSCO Shipping has won the draw for its container vessel Andronikos to make the ceremonial first transit through the Expanded Panama Canal during the waterway's inauguration on Sunday, June 26. The vessel, which has a maximum capacity of 9,400 TEUs, is 48.25 meters in beam and 299.98 meters in length.

Brazil’s state-run oil firm Petrobras said it has concluded the sale of its 67.2% stake in Petrobras Argentina to Argentina’s Pampa Energía for US$ 892 million, according to a securities filing. Petrobras also sold all of Petrobras Chile Distribución to Southern Cross Group for about US$ 490 million as part of its divestment program, the company said.

Argentina's state-run energy company YPF said this week it will fight a legal claim seek more than US$500 million in damages for rescinding natural gas export contracts in 2009. YPF shall use all its legal resources to defend its interests and those of its shareholders, the company said in a filing with the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet and Mining Minister Aurora Williams officially inaugurated Expomin 2016. During her tour through the exhibition, Minister Williams visited the British pavilion, joined by Ambassador Fiona Clouder and UKTI Director Trevor Hines.

France has beaten Japan and Germany to win a US$ 43 billion deal to build a fleet of 12 submarines for Australia, one of the world's most lucrative defense contracts, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced on Tuesday.

Argentina announced on Tuesday the largest emerging market debt sale on record with a global offering of 16.5bn dollars at an average interest rate of 7.14%, well below what it had planned in March in the midst of negotiations to end litigations with holdout funds opening the way, after fifteen years, for the return to world money markets. Underwriters received 68.5bn dollars in orders for bonds, more than four times the value of the debt.

The British Overseas Territory St Helena in mid Atlantic made history on Monday as the first large passenger jet aircraft, a Boeing 737-800 (ZS-ZWG), touched down at St Helena’s new Airport shortly after 12.00 noon. This is the actual Boeing aircraft which will serve the St Helena/Johannesburg rout, according to a release from the local government.

Despite growing optimism among Mercosur member countries of reaching a trade agreement with the European Union, Argentine minister of foreign affairs Susana Malcorra has cautioned that the road ahead is not a bed of roses, and the coming exchange of goods and tariff reduction proposals will not satisfy any of the two sides, but that is where serious discussions begin.

Katharine Felton writes the highlights of her one week experience in the archipelago. - Last week I visited the Falkland Islands for the first time - to learn more about the Islands and look at how their links with Uruguay, and vice versa, can be strengthened.

Ecuadorian state-owned energy firm Petroamazonas EP, which is looking to boost production at nine of its existing oil fields and on Monday signed a series of investment deals amounting to US$ 1 billion for those areas, enlisting the help of both domestic and foreign companies.