The $5.25-billion expansion of the Panama Canal entered its latest phase in June, as the recently completed Atlantic and Pacific locks of the new third lane were flooded for the first time. The installation of the gates on the locks, which will allow the Canal to pass ships carrying 13,000 to 14,000 TEUs (20-ft-equivalent units), has been considered the most complex and difficult portion of the expansion project. With the new gates in place, operational testing can begin.
"We started flooding the Atlantic locks on June 11, then we flooded the Pacific locks on June 22," says Ilya Espino de Marotta, executive vice president for the Panama Canal Authority's canal-expansion program. "It's a great step, because this lets you test the gates' movements. The gates are supposed to move in five minutes. We've tested four of the gates, two on each side, and they all are under five minutes."