Panama Canal maintains April 2016 start date for expanded waterway

Despite some setbacks, like this leaking wall at the third set of locks, ACP is maintaining its April 2016 start date. (Twitter photo)

PANAMA CITY, September 24th, 2015 (EFE) The Panama Canal Authority, or ACP, is maintaining an April 2016 start date for the revamped inter-oceanic waterway, although it said Wednesday it was still waiting for the consortium in charge of the expansion project to deliver a technical report on leaks affecting one of the walls of the third set of locks.

“The April 2016 date remains unchanged,” the ACP told EFE.

The agency said it was waiting for the GUPC consortium, led by Spanish construction giant Sacyr Vallehermoso, to deliver it a report on the seepage that also states whether it will result in any delay in completing the expansion.

On Sept. 7, the ACP said it was awaiting a formal report from the GUPC, adding that it “would be inclusive of the root cause analysis conducted, as well as the recommended repair methodology.”

The consortium on Aug. 21 acknowledged the leaks affecting one of the walls of the new locks on the Pacific side after photos of the problem were uploaded to social media.

On Wednesday, Panamanian daily La Prensa quoted the GUPC’s chief executive, Giuseppe Quarta, as saying the consortium “is evaluating whether the repairs of the leaks … will cause the delivery of the project and its commercial opening to be delayed.”

The GUPC is “in permanent contact with the ACP. We’re discussing everything that’s occurred and what we’re going to do. The ACP is perfectly aware of everything that’s happening,” Quarta said.

The 80-kilometer (50-mile) inter-oceanic waterway, which was under U.S. control from 1904 until Dec. 31, 1999, currently handles roughly 6 percent of global trade.

In 2007, administrators launched a $5.25 billion canal expansion project, including construction of a third set of locks that will enable the waterway to accommodate “post-Panamax” ships.

Those modern ships – used by the energy, and particularly the liquefied natural gas, industry – hold up to 12,000 20-foot-long containers and are three times bigger than what the canal can currently handle.

With the new set of locks, the canal will be able to handle up to 600 million tons of cargo annually, double its current capacity.