The first four new lock gates will be the arriving in August
The Panama Canal Expansion is moving forward to achieve its goal of enhancing the waterway’s capacity in order to provide a better service to customers. To date, the Program registers a 60.4% progress.
The Expansion Program has achieved many important milestones. Both entrances of the Panama Canal are ready for bigger ships, since the deepening and widening of the Atlantic and Pacific access channels have been completed.
The dredging of Gatun Lake is expected to be completed by the end of this year. The Pacific Access Channel has reached the design depth and the dam that will divide the new channel from Miraflores Lake is under construction.
The Third Set of Locks project registers a 50 percent progress. The new lock complexes in the Pacific and Atlantic sides will feature three chambers, three water-saving basins per chamber, a lateral filling and emptying system and rolling gates.
The first four new lock gates will be arriving in the country this upcoming August, signaling a very important milestone for the Third Set of Locks project. Each one of the 16 gates required will weight an average of 3,300 tons.
The Panama Canal is also preparing to face future operations. In June, the Panama Canal received three of the 14 new tugboats that will enhance the Canal’s current fleet. The additional capacity will allow assisting Post-Panamax vessels that will be transiting the expanded Canal, which will not use locomotives like in the existing locks.
The Panama Canal Expansion involves the construction of a third lane of traffic, which will double Canal’s capacity and have an important impact in world maritime trade.
You may find more information about Panama Canal at http://www.pancanal.com
Learn about the progress of one of the biggest engineering programs of the century at the Panama Canal Expansion Update
