In its ongoing efforts to satisfy the demands of the maritime industry, the Panama Canal Authority's new corporate mission is market-driven and customer-oriented. That is the reason why several members of the international shipping community sit on the Panama Canal advisory board where their experience, recommendations and permanent advice are of extreme value to the Panama Canal Authority officials. The recent reorganisation of the department of corporate planning and marketing brought about the creation of a new strategic services division and the consolidation of a marketing division to get a better understanding of the market and customers' needs.

The new marketing division now includes the office of customer relations, pricing and tolls, dry bulks, liquid bulks, liner services, other specialized services and new business development.

The main users of the Panama Canal are the United States, Japan, Mainland China, Canada, Chile, South Korea, Peru, Taiwan, Venezuela, Mexico, Ecuador, Panama, Colombia, Belgium, and Australia.

Some of the Canal's main customers are shipping lines that have been transiting the canal for decades. Many companies may have changed names after mergers or global purchases but several of them can recall the first vessel of their companies transiting the waterway in its early years.