A video released by the Panama Canal via YouTube shows the September, 2015 update for the canal’s expansion plans. The third lane is now built and will be servicing new post-Panamax vessels of up to 14,000 TEU, with the navigational channels being deepened and widened.
Most of the work on the expansion is now complete and the final tasks will be focused on the third set of locks, which includes the completion of the electro-mechanical installation.
Read a Technical Paper on the Third Lock Expansion
The canal recently hit a snag with the discovery of a crack within one of the lock gates which caused leaks into the lock channel. The ACP have since said that this will not affect the canal’s progress and it was glad the crack happened before the grand opening so the company could remedy issues without affecting trade.
The canal’s Pacific Ocean access channel is 95% complete and will be nine metres higher than Panama’s Miraflores Lake.
Overall, the project is 93% complete and is anticipated to be complete by April, 2016.
(Source: Panama Canal / YouTube)
