EXPANSION PROGRAM PANAMA CANAL 2016 EXPANSION PROGRAM COMPONENTS THIRD SET OF LOCKS PACIFIC ACCESS NAVIGATION IMPROVEMENTS TO The project entails CHANNEL CHANNEL WATER SUPPLY the construction of IMPROVEMENTS Neopanamax-dimension Executed in four phases, The work will enable the project entails the raising Gatun Lake’s lock complexes on the This component Pacific and Atlantic dry excavation of some maximum operating 50 million cubic meters involves dredging of level by 45 centimeters sides. Each complex will the Canal entrances feature three chambers, of material along a to improve Canal 6.1-kilometer span. The in the Atlantic and water supply and draft nine water-saving Pacific oceans, as basins, a lateral filling main concept was the dependability. creation of a new access well as the existing and emptying system navigation channels and rolling gates. channel north of the Third Set of Locks on the in Culebra Cut and Pacific side. Gatun Lake. 1. Atlantic entrance dredging 2. New Atlantic locks 3. Gatun Lake 2 PACIFIC ACCESS CHANNEL Last contract awarded clay-core to separate the waters of Miraflores and Gatun lakes. on 7 January 2010 Dry-excavation activities in this area have called for the clearing of 461 hectares contaminated with unexploded ordnance (UXO) left behind Work to expand the Panama Canal by the US military during its deployment in Panama Canal areas. officially began on 3 September 2007 with dry excavations to create the Construction of Borinquen 1E dam clay core was completed in June channel that would link the Third Set of 2015. In July 2015 an excavation record of 1.5 million cubic meters Locks on the Pacific side to Culebra Cut. of material was reached on the Pacific Access Channel phase four This project was divided into four phases, project, and flooding of the channel began in September 2015. The and the first three have already been channel reached the level of Gatun Lake in November 2015, and due to successfully completed. The fourth and requirements it was filled to its maximum level of 27.19 meters. last phase is currently under construction by contractor ICA-FCC-Meco. A crucial part of this project involves the construction of a dam known as Borinquen 1E. The dam is located west of Pedro Miguel Locks. It measures 2.3 kilometers long and will allow the operation of the new channel nine meters above the existing level. Construction of the dam initially implied the injection of a grout curtain to seal the rock bottom. Its construction consists The channel is 6.1 kilometer long, 218 meter width, and its excavation bottom is at 9.14 meters over sea of a rock embankment and impervious level. 6 8 7 5 4 4. Culebra Cut entrance/exit 5. Pacific Access Channel 6. Miraflores Lake 7. New Pacific Locks 8. Pacific entrance dredging 3 ATLANTIC ENTRANCE PACIFIC ENTRANCE Awarded on 25 September 2009 Awarded on 7 April 2008 Contract completed on 4 October 2013 Contract completed on 31 July 2013 The contract was awarded to Belgian contractor Jan De Nul n.v. Belgian company Dredging International Dredging was conducted in a 13.8-kilometer extension to widen Panama was responsible for the work, which the existing Atlantic entrance to a minimum of 225 meters, as consisted of widening the navigation channel on well as the north access channel to the new Agua Clara Locks to a the Pacific entrance to a minimum of 225 meters minimum of 218 meters. and deepening it to 15.5 meters below mean low water springs, as well as partial construction An option for further dredging up to 16.1 meters was executed, which represented an additional 2.3 million cubic meters of of the south access to the Cocoli Locks. material. World-renown high-tech, powerful equipment The contractor deployed several dredges simultaneously along including dredges D’Artagnan, Vlaanderen XIX the area, including hopper dredge Filippo Brunelleschi and cutter- and Lange Wapper were used in the project. suction dredge Marco Polo. Dredging operations concluded on 30 January 2013 with Neopanamax size dredge Charles Darwin removing the remaining shoals in the new expanded channel. DREDGING Dredging projects were conducted under the Expansion Program at both Canal ocean entrances, in Culebra Cut and across Gatun Lake, to guarantee the safe navigation of Neopanamax vessels along the route. Projects at the Pacific and Atlantic entrances have already been completed. Night view of Gamboa dock and dredging works. CULEBRA CUT AND GATUN LAKE This project entails the removal of underwater material to deepen and Il Principe, rented to Jan De Nul, n.v.. The and widen the navigation channels in Gatun Lake and to deepen the remainder of the work was awarded to contractors navigation channel in Culebra Cut. Work in the Cut was completed Jan De Nul n.v., which completed dredging of the at the end of 2012. north entrance to the new Pacific Access Channel in November 2012, and to Dredging International Dredging works at Gatun Lake were completed on 31 January 2015 Panama S.A., which was responsible for dredging by personnel and equipment of the Canal Dredging Division, with the reaches along the north end of the Gatun Lake the support of the Boskalis Panama S.A.–owned dredge Cornelius navigation channel, completed in March 2012. 4 In addition, this project includes the removal of the Pacific The Dredging Division completed the modification activities Access Channel north plug, which is expected to be on Fuel Dock in Gamboa using hydraulic dredge Mindi, completed by April 2016. Land-based drilling and blasting mechanical dredge Rialto M. Christensen and cutter- suction equipment and drilling and blasting barges Thor and Baru dredge Quibian I. and mechanical dredges Alberto Aleman Zubieta and Rialto M. Christensen have been used in this activity. The installation of 34 new navigational towers along the 38 kilometers of Gatun Lake, from Gamboa to the locks on the On 15 January 2016, a 70-meter long, 120-meter wide, and Atlantic side, was also completed. These towers, that will use 8-meter deep channel was opened to allow the passage LED- and PEL-type lights, will replace light houses, enhancing of Belgian company Jan De Nul n.v. floating equipment to safe navigation at the waterway. the intermediate plug. Drilling, blasting, excavation and dredging activities were required to open this channel, These improvements, in conjunction with the six towers which was accomplished with ACP land-based drilling that were built in the area of the new Pacific Access Channel, equipment from the Drilling and Blasting Section and the and whose objective is to guide the transit through the Alberto Aleman Zubieta dredge from the Dredging, Cranes expanded Canal, will go into operation with the opening of and Tugboats Section. the expansion. RAISING GATUN LAKE MAXIMUM OPERATING LEVEL Raising of Gatun Lake maximum operating level will improve Canal water supply. This project consists in raising the maximum operating Miguel lock gates in semisubmerged conditions. level of Gatun Lake from 26.7 to 27.1 meters, to improve Modifications to most Canal infrastructure has already Canal water supply. The project will enable additional been completed, except for ongoing work to the Gatun water storage capacity for Gatun Lake by nearly 200 launch and tugboat dock. million cubic meters, which requires the modification of specific structures in Canal operating areas. The construction of a dock and shed for the Lagarterita community in Colon was completed in September 2015. To this regard, all 14 Gatun spillway gates were extended Third-party modifications were concluded with the to contain the new water level and two additional gates delivery of these works. were fabricated at the Canal industrial dry dock. Thirty-two hydraulic cylinders were replaced in 2014 with new units with capacity to operate Gatun and Pedro 5 EXPANSION MILESTONES October 23 June September 1 July Following two years of execution and the removal Cocoli, on the Pacic, and Agua Clara, on Excavation works to remove the north Permanent-concrete pouring begins for the of four million cubic meters of material, Belgian the Atlantic, were lled to test the plug began at Agua Clara Locks. 2007 2010 construction of the Third Set of Locks. company Jan De Nul n.v. completed the work at 2014 movement of gates. The rst operating Remaining material was removed 2016 the north entrance to the Pacic Access Channel. tests of mechanical and electrical through dredging. 3 September 7 January 12 November systems and positioning and speed Inaugural blast in Paraiso Hill The contract for the fourth Pacic Access Arrival of the last four gates for the sensors tests were conducted on the 4 January marks the beginning of expansion Channel dry-excavation phase was Third Set of Locks. Atlantic side. Movement tests verify Dry-excavation works begin to remove works. awarded for a total of $284.2 million. position, weight and buoyancy data. the intermediate plug that separates Consortium ICA-FCC-Meco is in charge of the fourth-phase of the Pacic Access removing 26 million cubic meters of Channel from Cocoli Locks. material and building a 2.3-kilometer long dam. December 14 September Panama Canal Authority personnel completed Flooding of the new channel that will link 19 October the dredging of 3.2 million cubic meters of Culebra Cut and the Third Set of Locks at First partial lling of the Pacic Access material from Culebra Cut, the narrowest stretch 15 December Cocoli as part of the fourth dry-excavation Channel through which Neopanamax vessels in the Canal inner navigation channel. First gate to be inserted at the phase of the Pacic Access Channel will transit.