HISTORIC MOMENT: EXPANDED PANAMA CANAL OFFICIALLY OPENS

摘要

The first commercial transit of the expanded Panama Canal took place last month with the crossing of the Neopan-amax containership COSCO Shipping Panama. The 299.98 m × 48.25 m ship, which was carrying 9,472 TEU of containers, entered the Agua Clara Locks on the Atlantic Side. The official inauguration ceremony took place when the ship reached the Cocoli Locks on the Pacific side of the Canal. The largest enhancement project in the Canal's history, the $5.25 billion Expansion Program included the construction of a new set of locks on the Atlantic and Pacific side of the waterway and the excavation of more than 150 million m3 of material, creating a second lane of traffic and doubling the cargo capacity of the waterway. The expanded locks are 70 feet wider and 18 feet deeper than those in the original canal, but they will use less water due to water-saving basins that recycle 60 percent of the water used per transit.