Bigger Panama Canal,More LNG Trade

摘要

The Panama Canal is too small to allow for the passage of standard LNG vessels.But that looks set to change by 2014,when an ambitious 5.23 billion plan to expand the Canal is due to be completed.Two weeks ago,Panamanians voted overwhelmingly in favor of building a third pair of locks that will be 180 feet wide by 1,400 feet long and 60 feet deep.This will allow the passage of vessels known as post-Panamax that are typically 160 feet wide and may carry as much as 170,000 deadweight tons(dwt).Today,only the smaller Panamax ships - at most 106 feet wide,965 feet long and 39.5 feet deep - may transit the Canal carrying a maximum of 50,000-70,000 dwt(WGI Jul.21'04,p2).