US PORTS IN COUNTDOWN FOR PANAMA CANAL WIDENING

摘要

Ports on the US East Coast are gearing up to match the capability of the Panama Canal once it has been widened. After years of waiting for the much-needed deepening of its channels, the green light was finally given to Port Everglades when it received a signed Chief of Engineers Report from the US Army Corps of Engineers. This clears the way for the port to begin the next phase of deepening and widening its channels, and allows the project to be included in federal legislation expected in 2016 that will authorise similar water and navigation-related projects. The project will see the main navigational channels deepened from 42ft to 48ft and the deepening and widening of the entrance channel and parts of the inter-coastal water, and is crucial in the face of the widening of the Panama Canal. While Port Everglades already handles post Panamax ships from Europe and South America, the ships cannot be fully loaded.