GAMBOA, Panama – The Rialto M. Christensen sits forlornly in dock, idle for one of the few times this year. A week ago it broke a gear which had to be custom-ordered from overseas. The wait cost a month.
This is not to say things aren’t hectic on the deck of this 30-year-old vessel. The break in the regular work schedule has given the crew an opportunity to make sure everything is in perfect working order for the upcoming challenge – dredging millions of cubic meters of material as part of the massive $5.25-billion expansion of the Panama Canal.