There is, on the Caribbean side of the Panama Canal, an area called the Colon free zone, which I believe is, after Hong Kong, the second-largest logistics hub for trade in the world. Basically, ships bring their merchandise trade through the Panama Canal. They can unload it in the Colon free zone, repackage it, and then containers can be shipped off to various other destinations in Latin America, Europe, or the U.S.
Really, more than anything, it's a shipping and logistics hub on the Caribbean side of the canal.