Unlocking Panama's Potential

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Unlocking Panama's Potential UNLOCKING PANAMA’S POTENTIAL WEALTH CREATION Unlocking PANAMA’S POTENTIAL Traffic through the Panama Canal had been regularly exceeding its capacity, with some owners paying high premiums at ‘auctions’ to have priority of passage. To meet the forecasted increasing demand, a third wider lane, with the world’s largest lock footprint, is to be added. David Tozer, Business Manager of Container Ships at Lloyd’s Register, looks at plans for the construction and subsequent impact on the size of shipping in the future. The Panama Canal is one of the sometimes resulting in longer 300 million PCUMS tons. This world’s greatest engineering than optimal lock times. figure is expected to recover as achievements. It plays a critical First opened in 1914, today the world’s economic conditions role in facilitating and shaping the canal transports nearly 15,000 improve. Even at these lower global trade and acts as a conduit vessels every year carrying 5% of tonnages, the Panama Canal is between the Pacific and Atlantic the world’s seaborne cargo – but running close to 90% capacity. oceans. The dimensions of the it is nearing its physical limit. In During maintenance periods, existing locks have defined a 2007, 312 million Panama Canal some ships are forced to wait whole breed of ship designs Universal Measurement System in extreme cases for up to a that have been built with a (PCUMS) tons of trade transited week to obtain passage through beam no greater than 106 feet the canal. Due to the current the narrow artery, costing (32.3 m). These ‘Panamax’ ships global economic crisis there has thousands of US dollars a day. have been made to fit tightly been a small reduction in This congestion is expected to into the existing locks, requiring demand and 2009 is forecast to worsen as ships become larger Panamax ships pass through the Miraflores Locks © PA precise control of the vessel and end with approximately and more numerous. 28 INGENIA ISSUE 41 DECEMBER 2009 INGENIA ISSUE 41 DECEMBER 2009 29 UNLOCKING PANAMA’S POTENTIAL WEALTH CREATION To accommodate larger vessels 100th anniversary of the original constructor Sacyr Vallehermoso, and anticipated growth in opening of the existing canal. the Italian builder Impregilo, the volumes of trade passing After competitive tendering, Belgian company Jan De Nul through it, the Panama Canal the Grupo Unidos por el Canal and local construction company Authority (ACP) has embarked (GUPC) consortium won the Cusa. Two new navigational on an ambitious project to add a contract in July 2009 to design channels will be constructed third lane of locks to the Panama and build the new locks for the to enter the new locks, which Canal, which is planned to price of US$3.12 billion. The will be larger than the originals come into service in 2014 – the consortium consists of Spanish and with enough capacity to accommodate bigger ‘post- Panamax’ ships, thus doubling the amount of cargo transported along the canal. INCREASING container capacity The canal expansion involves the construction of two sets of three lock chambers along the canal’s 50-mile length: one at the Atlantic end of the canal, east of Construction of a dyke is one of five projects necessary to excavate the Pacific access channel. Between the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores Locks, 30 million cubic the Gatun Locks and the other at metres of earth needs to be excavated. These explosions on Paraiso Hill in September 2007 marked the beginning of the first project that sought to reduce the height of the hill © Autoridad del Canal de Panamá the Pacific end to the southwest The Panama Canal is 80 km long. The Gatun Locks system enables ships to ascend or descend the 24 m difference in of the Miraflores Locks. Vessels water level. The Miraflores Locks cover a 16 m drop in height currently transit the Panama draught (depth in the water) of channel to the new locks on vessel which has 10 drilling be deepened by 1.2 m and Canal via two shipping up to 15 m. the Pacific end, the widening towers. In total, an extra 8 km widened by an extra 128 m (for lanes; the new third lane will This increase in size will and deepening of existing of channels will be excavated a total of 356 m in the turns). accommodate much larger prompt the development of navigational channels at the to connect the new locks to The maximum operating lake ships. This is important news for post-Panamax vessels sea entrances and the elevation existing shipping lanes. level will also be raised by 0.45 m the container shipping industry, (see post-Panamax container of Gatun Lake’s maximum Around 10,000 workers to provide, on average, an extra which currently dominates the ships) optimised for transit operating level. Gatun Lake is a will be employed on the 165 million gallons of water Panama Canal route in terms through the locks. Shipyards 456 km man-made lake, whose project. Panama’s Gatun per day which will allow about of both number of transits and are already taking orders for surface is roughly 26.5 m above Lake, which forms a large part 1,100 full additional transits capacity. This traffic accounts for such vessels and Lloyd’s Register mean sea level. Together with of the shipping route, will a year. half of the canal´s revenue. is helping the industry to upstream Alajuela Lake, they The new sets of locks will understand the context in which provide all of the freshwater each feature three chambers, these ships will operate. required to operate the canal, similar in configuration to the as well as potable water for existing Gatun Locks, but using residential and industrial use in different technology with regard ENGINEERING Panama City. to the lock gates and filling and WORKS The civil engineering emptying systems. The new The whole programme to involved is monumental in scale, chambers, each connected to increase the capacity of the requiring the excavation and three water saving basins, are Panama Canal involves three dredging of some 147 million The civil engineering involved is monumental larger than those in the existing main components besides cubic metres of earth and rock. two strings of locks and will the construction of new lock This is made possible by using in scale, requiring the excavation and allow transit of vessels with a facilities at the Atlantic and – among many large pieces of dredging of some 147 million cubic metres of beam of up to 49 m, an overall Pacific ends of the Canal. There equipment – the world’s largest A schematic of the proposed new locks with water saving basins © IV-Groep/Autoridad del Canal de Panamá length of up to 366 m and a is the excavation of an access floating drilling and blasting earth and rock. 30 INGENIA ISSUE 41 DECEMBER 2009 INGENIA ISSUE 41 DECEMBER 2009 31 UNLOCKING PANAMA’S POTENTIAL WEALTH CREATION Lock alternatives are fully retracted into recesses normally carry approximately The new reinforced-concrete in the lock walls and don’t take between 10% to 15% of locks will each measure over a up any additional space when the weight of the gate, the mile-and-a-half in length. The open. They also reduce the remainder of the weight chambers will each be 427 m length of the lock only by their is carried by flotation from long, 18 m deep, and 55 m wide. own width, unlike the mitre strategically located buoyancy A major change compared gates, which project forward into chambers. The upper wagon to the existing locks will be the lock and take up even more is fixed at the top corner of the the type of lock gates used. precious space. gate and rolls along supports Mitre-style lock gates – like on both sides of the length those currently on the Panama of the recess. The other is NEW gates affixed diagonally opposite at Canal – consist of two leaf The new locks will incorporate the bottom corner of the gate gates. They are analogous to twin gates at either end of each and rolls along the bed of the a set of double doors, except chamber, held in recesses at right lock on crane rails. The gates that they close on to each other angles to the lock wall. Both gate are operated with a winch and at a pitch angle of 2:3. From a recesses are located in specially motor system. When the lock is plan view they form a wedge designed wall monoliths called to be used, the gates are pulled shape in the lock. Always facing ‘lockheads’. Both gates weigh forward, by means of large the incoming water, as pressure roughly 3,000 tonnes and rest diameter wire ropes, sliding builds up they are forced more on wagons at either end which them into the lock. To open tightly into each other and to allows them to roll in and out of them, they are pulled backwards their wall bearings. Mitre gates the lockhead. into the recesses. The time become less efficient at longer The twin rolling gate estimated for the gates to open lengths – there is no lock in the design introduces a valuable or close is around four minutes. world wider than 42 m that uses redundancy to the system. this type of gates. While one of the pair acts as The new locks will incorporate twin gates at When fully open, they the operating gate that retains EASIER to maintain fold into the sides of the lock water in the lock, the other acts The positioning of the sets of either end of each chamber, held in recesses and this, in part, is one of as an auxiliary gate that serves as wagons on each gate allows at right angles to the lock wall..
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