As of late July, the expansion was 60.4 percent
finished, a 15 percent increase from a year ago, reports the Panama Canal
Authority.
The project, which involves the construction
of a third lane of traffic, is expected to double the canal’s capacity by 2015,
was reportedly almost 45 percent complete as of August 31, 2012, but is
believed to be about six months behind it’s originally projected schedule.
The project, which was officially kicked off
in September 2007, consists of, among other things, the excavations of new
access channels, the widening of existing channels and the deepening of
navigation channels.
The expansion is expected to allow
post-Panamax ships to travel through the canal en route to East Coast
terminals, something that could negatively affect West Coast vessel traffic.
The Panama Canal Authority also says that both
canal entrances are now ready for bigger ships because the deepening and
widening of the Atlantic and Pacific access channels have been completed.
Also, the Authority says, in June the Panama
Canal received three of the 14 new tugboats that are expected to enhance the
Canal’s current fleet. The additional tugs are to be used to assist post-Panamax
vessels expected to transit the expanded Canal.
A final commissioning of the expansion is planned
to begin in September 2014, with commercial transits expected to begin by
mid-2015.
