Utah People's Post

The Latest News from the Beehive State

Friday, July 1, 2022
Log in
  • National News
    • Female Caseworker Killed & Doctor Shot in Philadelphia
  • State News
    • Car Chase Leads to Drug Arrest
  • Tech & Science
  • Health
    • How to Prepare For Ticks Season
    • Magical Weight Loss Bean Scam
  • Sports
  • Business
You are here: Home / Business / The 100-Year-Old Panama Canal is Getting a Lot Bigger

The 100-Year-Old Panama Canal is Getting a Lot Bigger

August 15, 2014 Posted by Editor

The Panama Canal celebrates one hundred years today. It may have been used for a century by millions of ships, but its great steel gates of the Miraflores locks still swing open with great precision. They continue to offer safe passage for ships the size of the Titanic. The Panama Canal project, engineered in the days of Teddy Roosevelt, was so incredibly well done and balanced that its 672-ton leaves are moved by nothing more than a pair of 25-horsepower motors.

82714_990x742-cb1408131610

The Panama Canal can still offer safe passage to ships the size of the Titanic, but nowadays, many exceed those limitations. Approximately 14.000 pass through the Panama Canal every year and more than half of them have beams in excess of a hundred feet. This means that they can barely make it through the old doors.

“Picture yourself more than 700 feet from the bow of a vessel, standing on a bridge that’s 12 to 15 stories high, and then easing it forward into the lock with only two feet of clearance either side, and you’ll have some idea what it’s like piloting a big vessel into the lock. Then imagine doing it in the dark and in the rain.”- Captain Miguel Rodriguez

At present, the world’s largest ships (which consist of tankers, container vessels, cruise liners and bulk carriers) can’t make it through the infamous Panama Canal because they are too big. This means, that as popular as the Panama Canal is, it is losing market share every year.

There is a project which aims to expand the canal with the help of a third lane with bigger locks for the Pacific and Caribbean entrances. The super-sized canal is expected to be open to traffic by 2016.

The project was voted for in 2006, when Panamanians decided to give the Canal a 6 billion dollars makeover. The project would widen the Culebra Cut across the Continental dive, dredge the channels, and construct a huge new set of 180 feet wide and 1.400 feet long locks. At the moment, the Panama Canal project is 80% complete.

By the time it is complete, the modern Panama Canal will double the cargo capacity and handle 99% of the world’s container ships, as well as 81% of huge liquefied natural gas tankers.

 “It will be a pivotal moment. Not just for Panama but for the all of the trade-driven commerce that is impacted by the Panama route.”

Six billion dollars may sound like a lot of money, but it is nothing compared to the costs that seaports on the U.S. eastern seabord are investing to prepare for the arrival of container ships from Asia.

From Miami to Boston, road and rail links are being expanded, harbors are being dredged, and new cranes are installed to fit over 13.000 containers from giant carriers.

“With East Asia sourcing more and more raw materials out of Latin America, in particular coal and iron ore, the expanded canal will offer enormous new opportunities,” – Valentine Lynch, vice president of planning and business development for the Panama Canal

This is a monumental undertaking, and although the expansion should have been complete for the hundredth anniversary celebrations, construction delays and cost overruns pushed the date back to 2016. It’s stressful work, but a source of great pride. At the moment, experts are already getting used to the giant new locks and learning how to maneuver enormous ships through the navigation channels.

“We’re already training on simulators for the day when the new locks come into service,” Captain Rodriguez says

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Email

Filed Under: Business Tagged With: business news, huge ship, Panama Canal, Panama Canal being expanded, Panama Canal project, ship containers

Woman working out at the gym

Just 23% of Americans Are Working Out Enough in Their Spare Time

June 29, 2018 By Amelia Donovan

Poliovirus Therapy Gives Brain Cancer Patients New Hope (Study)

June 29, 2018 By Amelia Donovan

United Airlines airplane

Passenger Mysteriously Dies on United Airlines flight Bound for Boston

June 28, 2018 By Amelia Donovan

Breakfast sandwich

Here Are Some Foods No Nutritionist Would Ever Eat

June 27, 2018 By Amelia Donovan

Poppy flower

UN Warns of Surge in Opium-based Drugs and Cocaine Supply

June 27, 2018 By Amelia Donovan

U.S.-Canada border

French Jogger Detained 2 Weeks for Accidentally Crossing Border

June 26, 2018 By Amelia Donovan

Plus size model

Normalizing Plus Size Could Fuel Obesity Crisis (Study)

June 25, 2018 By Amelia Donovan

Giant manta ray

Unique Manta Ray Nursery Spotted off Texas Coast

June 23, 2018 By Amelia Donovan

The rainbow flag

WHO Scraps Transgenderism from List of Mental Illnesses

June 22, 2018 By Amelia Donovan

456 People Dead at U.K. Hospital after Taking too Many Painkillers

June 21, 2018 By Amelia Donovan

Kenyan girls dancing

Kenyans Facing Poor Nutrition as Supermarket Shopping Is on the Rise

June 20, 2018 By Amelia Donovan

Pages

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy GDPR
  • Staff
  • Terms and Conditions

Recent Posts

  • Just 23% of Americans Are Working Out Enough in Their Spare Time
  • Poliovirus Therapy Gives Brain Cancer Patients New Hope (Study)
  • Passenger Mysteriously Dies on United Airlines flight Bound for Boston
  • Here Are Some Foods No Nutritionist Would Ever Eat
  • UN Warns of Surge in Opium-based Drugs and Cocaine Supply
  • French Jogger Detained 2 Weeks for Accidentally Crossing Border
  • Normalizing Plus Size Could Fuel Obesity Crisis (Study)

Related Articles

  • Passenger Mysteriously Dies on United Airlines flight Bound for Boston

    Jun 28, 2018
  • Fishing boat in the Atlantic Ocean

    U.S. Seafood Dealer Lied About Fish Being Caught in U.S.

    Jun 14, 2018
  • Tesla car on the road

    Tesla’s Autopilot Software To ‘Nag’ Drivers to Keep Hands on Wheel

    Jun 12, 2018
  • Mexico Slaps Tariffs on U.S. Steel, Pork, and Bourbon

    Jun 6, 2018
  • Dairy cows on a pasture

    Kentucky Milk Plant Closes after Losing Contract with Walmart

    Jun 4, 2018
  • Tesla founder Elon Musk

    Elon Musk Upset About Latest Tesla Crash Being ‘Front Page News’

    May 16, 2018
  • Orange juice bottles on Whole Foods shelves

    Amazon to Roll Out New Prime Perks for Whole Foods Shoppers

    May 2, 2018
  • U.S. Liquor Store

    Alcohol Sales on Sunday No Longer Banned in Indiana

    Mar 5, 2018
  • Bitcoin coins on 100-dollar bills

    Iran Unveils Its First National Cryptocurrency

    Feb 23, 2018
  • Transavia Airlines plane taking off

    Man on Plane who Wouldn’t Stop Farting Causes Emergency Landing

    Feb 19, 2018

Categories

  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Health
  • National News
  • Nature
  • Provo
  • Salt Lake News
  • Science
  • Sports
  • State News
  • Tech & Science
  • Technology
  • Uncategorized
  • West Jordan
  • West Valley City
  • World

Copyright © 2022 utahpeoplespost.com

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Site Map · Contact