Cargo Business Newswire

Monday, October 5, 2015

Panama Canal update on leaks in third set of locks

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) announced that it has received updated information from Grupo Unidos por el Canal (GUPC), the contractor responsible for the design and construction of the third set of locks, regarding the localized seepage found in the concrete sill between the lower and middle chamber of the canal's expanded Pacific Locks.

In a recent letter, GUPC wrote that the localized seepage was the result of insufficient steel reinforcement in the area, which was subjected to stress from extreme condition testing, according to the ACP statement. After careful examination of all

the other sills in both lock complexes, GUPC stated that in addition to reinforcing the sill that presented the issue, they would also reinforce the first and second sill in the Cocoli Locks and the first three sills in the Atlantic-facing Agua Clara Locks as a preventative measure, though these sills have not presented any issue.

GUPC verbally indicated that the completion date for the Expansion Project will remain April 2016, but the ACP said it is awaiting formal confirmation in the form of a comprehensive report from GUPC that should also include the root cause of the detected filtrations.