Mr. William Andrews founded the firm of W. Andrews & Company in Colon in 1889, and with the opening of the Panama Canal to world commerce in 1914, established offices with Payne & Wardlaw in Cristobal and Balboa. The firms took the final step of merging into Associated Steamship Agents, S.A in 1975.
In 2000 AYS was born as a division from ASA, specializing in the support of superyachts and megayachts that are cruising in Panama and/or transiting the Panama Canal.