Panama Canal increases transit capacity

Santiago Meza

PANAMA CITY - The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has opened a second tie-up station located at the Cartegena sector near the Pedro Miguel locks, which will enable the transit of at least one additional vessel through the canal per day.

According to ACP Executive Vice President of Operations Manual Benítez, the new tie-up station entered operation on 17 May and is part of a plan by the canal's management to maintain the inter-oceanic route's viability by increasing capacity, improving customer service and generating savings, reported La Estrella.

"The Cartagena tie-up station allows us to transit at least one more vessel per day," said Benítez. Along with a new track system and turntable at the Gatún lock and an enhanced tug fleet, the ACP has increased daily transit to more than 40 vessels per day, added Benítez.

The way transit is scheduled, the ACP explained to Prensa Latina, is that traffic goes northbound (Pacific to Atlantic) in the morning and switches to southbound (Atlantic to Pacific) in the afternoon. Before the introduction of these tie-up stations, in the afternoon, for example, the two locks on the Pacific end of the canal (Miraflores and Pedro Miguel) would remain idle until southbound traffic had passed.

The tie-up stations now allow northbound (Pacific to Atlantic) traffic in the afternoon to go through both the Miraflores and Pedro Miguel locks. These ships are then secured at the tie-up stations in Cartegena and Cucaracha and wait for southbound traffic to pass before receiving the go-ahead to continue towards the Atlantic.

Benítez said to Hora Cero, "These stations are a real example of the innovative and creative applications of our canal team to solve problems". The Panama Canal opened in August 1914 and became the key conduit for traffic between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans throughout the 20th century and until the present day.

Today's increasingly larger vessels, however, have prompted Panama to begin a major expansion programme to ensure the Canal remains a viable option for these larger ships in the future.

Source: http://infosurhoy.com

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