View non-flash version
THE DESIGN ISSUES and alternatives for an expanded Panama Canal have been studied and discussed for more than 30 years, since the 1977 treaty between Panama and the United States that began the structured process culminating in the ocial turnover of control of the canal to the citizens of Panama on December 31, 1999. at preliminary phase was com- pleted when the expansion project was presented to the citizens of Panama on April 24, 2006 and approved by popular vote in an October 22 referendum. On that day, Panama announced that on August 15, 2014, there would be a new waterway open to the ship- ping world, and that all interested parties would need to prepare themselves to take advantage of the augmented route. Since then, we have answered a growing number of requests for information regarding the size of the expanded locks and the maximum dimensions for vessels transiting them. ese were included in the April 2006 presentation of the Proposed Expansion Project. e new lockĀs chambers will be 427 m (1,400 ft.) long, by 55 m (180 ft.) wide, and 18.3 m (60 ft.) deep. ey will use rolling gates instead of the miter gates used in the existing locks. e rolling gate is used in almost all existing locks with dimensions similar to those being proposed and is a well-proven technology. e new locks will use tugboats to position the vessels, rather than locomotives. As New Dimensions The impact of the Panama Canal expansion on vessel design and construction BY OCTAVIO A. STAGG July 2011 www.sname.org/sname/mt