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Gatun Lake and Culebra Cut. This project consists of the removal of some 27,000,000 m 3 of material to deepen and widen the navigational channels of Gatun Lake and to deepen the channel along Culebra Cut. Some two-thirds of this task is the responsibility of canal in- house personnel employing its own, as well as leased, equipment. e remain- der of the work was awarded to contractor Jan De Nul N.V., who is performing dredg- ing work at the north end of the new Pacific access channel, and Dredging International, who is responsible for dredging the reaches along the northern end of Gatun Lake. The ACP has not hesitated when it comes to investing in new, more power- ful and versatile equipment to support the expansion. In early April 2011, the new cutter-suction dredge Quibian I arrived in canal waters to support ongo- ing work at the lake and Culebra Cut. The dredge was transported onboard a semi-submersible barge from IHC Beaver Dredgers Sliedrecht dry dock in the Netherlands, where it was built. e dredge will perform work under the expansion program, and once nished, it will join the ACP fleet dedicated to canal maintenance and other channel improvement work. Increasing Gatun Lakes operating level is component of the expansion pro- gram consists of raising the maximum operating level of Gatun Lake by 45 cm, from its current 26.7 m to 27.1 m. e proj- ect will enable additional water reservoir capacity of more than 200,000,000 m 3, which will translate into enough water for an additional three daily transits. Aside from dredging and excava- tion, the work entails the modication of certain existing structures and machin- ery, including the hydraulic cylinders that open and close the gates at Pedro Miguel and Gatun locks upper level, and extending the height of the Gatun spill- way gates to accommodate the increase in lake level. e ACP is currently testing prototype cylinders that can operate the gates at these locations in a submerged position. To date, four gates have already been extended and two brand-new gates have been delivered by the canals own dry dock with the required dimensions. To complement the operation and main- tenance of the taller spillway gates, two new caissons or oating gates were pro- cured and delivered from a dry dock in Canada, adding to the two existing ones so that four gates can be concurrently modied. Design and construction of the third set of locks is is the largest, most comprehensive project in the expansion program. At a cost of $3.2 billion, the contract was awarded on July 15, 2009 to consortium Grupo Unidos por el Canal, formed by the Spanish company Sacyr Vallehermoso, S.A.; Italys Impregilo SpA; Belgiums Jan de Nul N.V.; and Panamas Constructora Urbana, S.A. The contractor officially started work on August 25, 2009. Because the dimensions of the lock chambers at the existing canal are the primary factor preventing Post-Panamax transits through the waterway, the locks component is the cornerstone of the expansion program. The project calls for the construction of two new Post- Panamax lock complexes, one at each end of the waterway. Each lock complex will have three chambers, with nine water- saving basins each, that will help save 60% of the water used in its operation; a Floating and land-based cranes work on construction of a 1.8 kilometer-long coerdam that will enable the completion of dry excavations for the Paci?c access channel. July 2011 www.sname.org/sname/mt