At the beginning of 2014, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) and the consortium responsible for building the new set of locks on the system, disputed over the nine month delay of the project and the cost overruns. The latter are estimated to climb up to $1.6 billion, making the contractor company, Grupo Unidos por el Canal S.A. (GUPC), ceasing works for about two weeks. Completion of the expansion is now projected for December 2015.
The engineering marvel of its time, the Panama Canal, has been serving global trade for ninety-three years. The numbers are revealing, with about 14,000 vessels carrying 5 percent of the world's ocean cargo -- that been translated to 280 million tons -- pass through the waterway each year. By 2009 however, the canal's operational capacity has reached a limit and the facility was facing the danger of becoming obsolete, as major shipping companies around the globe started building vessels larger that the canal's 110-ft.-wide lock chambers, known as post-Panamax ships.
The expasion project is going to double the Canal's capacity by creating a new set of locks on both the Pacific and Atlantic sides, which will be using less water compared to the existing locks, 60% of which will be recyclable. Each lock will consist of three chambers, three water saving basins per chamber, a lateral filling and emptying system and rolling gates. Moreover, the existing channels will be enlarged and the operating level of the Gatun lake will be increased. Overall, 5 million cubic meters of concrete and 290,000 tons of steel will be used, engaging about 6,000 construction workers at peak construction period. By now, the project is about 73% complete, nine months behind schedule and with significant cost overruns, launching the overall project's cost from $5.2 billion to $7.0.
Previous posts on the subject, from thestructuralengineer.info, can be found here!
More technical information is provided here and in the video below!
;
Sources: Reuters, DredgingToday.com, popularmechanics.com, Journal of Commerce
On Sunday, June 26th, a Chinese freighter became the first ship to pass through the recently complet...
The Panama Canal began to fill with water in the second part of the canal. The Panama Canal began...
The repair works to rebuilt the disintegrated Whaley bridge dam located at Toddbrook Reservoir, Der...
Greece temporarily shut Corinth Canal for marine traffic on Monday, February 26, after intense storm...
A 3-story building suddenly collapsed into a canal in West Bengal, a state of India. The structure...
Last week, archaeologists made a discovery at the Temple of the Inscriptions in the Mayan ruins of P...
Following the installation of more than 82.5 million meters of PVDs (Prefabricated Vertical Drains)...
Plans have been unveiled to expand the Paris metro system to connect the city with the greater Ile d...
CH2M by Bentley is going to help improve Singapore’s water security by increasing the supply of safe...