Canal de 2016 The expansion of the was described to us as a must do. Since 2006, global commercial ocean shipping grew rapidly and so did the container ships that once hauled 5,000 TEU (20‐foot containers). The ships now being constructed could carry up to 13,000 TEU. That meant bigger ships that went beyond the limits (see Panama Canal 1914 for more background on the limits to transit the Canal). In 2006, (Autoridad del Canal de Panamá ACP) announced the expansion. They began by setting new toll rates to support what would take nearly a decade‐long construction effort to build a new canal. Its prime purpose was to support bigger ships (Post‐Panamax) and compete in the global shipping market. The actual construction started in 2007, one year before the worldwide economic slowdown. It left many with questions whether this was a good move. Scheduled to be completed by 2014, the actual opening of the new Panama Canal adjacent to the 1914 canal was on June 26, 2016. The cost of the project was $5.2 billion, one billion over budget. It, however, proved to be a wise and profitable venture. The new locks accounted for 60 percent of the cost. It was the largest infrastructure project since the Canal opened in 1914. The new expanded locks are 70 feet wider and 18 feet deeper. The new water‐saving basins recycle 60 percent of the water per transit compared to no‐saving on the original canal. Water is an important resource and must be accounted for. In fact, discussion has taken place in terms of retrofitting the original canal with water saving systems. For large ships, it takes 8 to 10 hours to transit the Canal. Scheduling a ship to transit the Canal can cause ships to wait for clearance. Each ship requires an Authority pilot to board and take over the ship to ensure proper lock transiting. "The expanded canal can accommodate 90 percent of the world's LNG tankers." The new locks, as does the original, must raise and lower ships 85 feet between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. For safety reasons movement is in one direction at a time. To better understand the construction, go to marineinsight.com. The Emerald Princess was built in 2007, but since the ship was too big for the original Panama Canal, its first voyage through the new Canal wasn't until April 29, 2019. Below is an accounting of the transit published by Captain Martin Stenzel's log. "At 02:00am we received a call from Flamingo Signal station about the pilot boarding time. With all our checks complete, we boarded the local pilot at 04:38am, while the ship was at anchor. As soon as our pilot boarded our lady, at 04:53am we started to heave the anchor. The anchor was at home at 05:06am. Then we moved away from the anchorage under the pilot advice reaching the entrance of Panama Canal buoyed channel. Shortly before passing under the Bridge of the , at 06:36am we embarked the Panama Canal crew (Marinos). At 08:10am with assistance of 4 tugboats the Emerald Princess entered in the Cocoli Locks. (The Cocoli Locks are made by 3 chambers each chamber have a length of 427 meters (1,400 feet), width of 55 meters (180 feet) and the minimum depth of 18 meters (59 feet). Emerald Princess cleared up the locks at 10:30am heading to . At 13:39pm the Emerald Princess made her way toward the Agua Clara Locks, At 14:29pm with The assistance of 4 tugboats the Emerald Princess entered in the Agua Clara Locks. At 16:45pm Emerald Princess clued‐up the last chamber of Aqua Clara locks, made her way to Cristobal Harbour and passing under bridge of Atlantic at 17:07pm. In the meantime, we disembarked the local pilot and Marinos (total of 27 boarded) heading out the Atlantic breakwater. At 17:53pm the ship was officially in the Atlantic Ocean making her way to our next port of call Cartagena, Columbia." Facts about ship and day: Sky at Noon: Mostly Clear Skies. Wind Moderate breeze from North West of 15 knots (17 mph), and Temperature: 30 degrees Centigrade (86 degrees Fahrenheit). The Emerald Princess paid $450,000 to traverse the canal. Gross tonnage 113,561 tons, Draught 27.9 feet, Length overall 9145.8 feet, Max passengers 3,573 and Max crew 1227. This photo program shares our transit of the expanded Panama Canal 2016. The expanded Canal's water saving basins that still rely on Gutan Lake but conserve 60% of water used in each lock.

At times we were adjacent to the original Canal. The only lookout we saw on the expanded was at the Agua Clara lock.

Panama receives on average 75 inches of precipitation annually. Accelerated amounts cause erosion and require dredging to remove sediment. It is an expensive process and below are control efforts to minimize the problem. Below the contruction are several massive dredges used in the canal.

The Titan is one of the world's largest dredges. Formerly known as "Herman the German," was built in Bremerhaven, Germany in 1941 by the Nazis. Its purpose was to lift German U‐Boats for repair or other tasks. The Allied forces seized it. The Soviet Union, Great Britain and the U.S. each got one. In 1946 it was dismantled and shipped to Long Beach, CA Naval Shipyard. In 1996 after years of service in Long Beach, it was shipped to work on the locks in the Panama Canal. It became "La Titan," and is still in operation. It was used to build the third set of locks at the expanded Panama Canal. The third bridge over the Panama Canal is called the "Atlantic Bridge" and "Bridge #3." Construction began in 2013, scheduled to open in 2016, it is still unopened. Designed by a Chinese firm, the bridge will connect the seaport of Colón, Panama with areas west of the canal. The bridge is 3,444 feet long. It will replace the Panama Canal Ferry.

Sources: Transit on the Panama Canal, Presentation on the Canal onboard, Tour in Panama and Ferry experience, https://www.marineinsight.com/guidelines/how‐the‐water‐locks‐of‐panama‐canal‐work/, https://www.forconstructionpros.com/conexpo/article/11289259/construction‐of‐the‐new‐expanded‐panama‐canal, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Panama‐Canal, https://www.npr.org/2016/06/25/483523910/the‐5‐billion‐panama‐canal‐expansion‐opens‐sunday‐ amidst‐shipping‐concerns, https://www.maritime‐executive.com/article/expanded‐panama‐canal‐operational‐for‐a‐year, https://www.sailingtotem.com/2018/03/anatomy‐of‐a‐panama‐canal‐transit.html, https://www.estormwater.com/soil‐erosion‐panama‐canal, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/06/22/world/americas/panama‐canal.html, https://history.state.gov/milestones/1899‐1913/panama‐canal, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/06/26/bigger‐ships‐panama‐celebrates‐opening‐its‐expanded‐canal/86403210/, https://www.tideworks.com/herman‐the‐german/, http://www.smmnet.com/pdf/PCA_MOORING_REQUIREMENTS.pdf and https://www.pancanal.com/eng/op/notices/2018/N01‐2018.pdf. acuri.net John R. Vincenti Panama Canal 2016: Voyage across the Isthmus of Panama