The Handling of Ships Through a Widened and Asymmetrically Deepened Section of Gaillard Cut in the Panama Canal

摘要

The results of a series of model tests on the handling of deeply laden ships in a widened and asymmetrically deepened section of Gaillard Cut in the Panama Canal are presented. These data show that widening and deepening the channel greatly reduce the interaction forces over the greater part of the channel width, and that this effect is accompanied in the case of very large ships by a marked improvement in directional stability. It is concluded from the investigation that the asymmetrical shape of the channel and the abrupt change in depth between the old cut on one side and the new cut on the other do not have any untoward effect on the performance of the ships. (Author)