Panama Canal Authority (ACP) Administrator/CEO Alberto Alemán Zubieta addressed hundreds of participants at this year’s International Navigation Organization’s (PIANC) 32nd Congress May 11 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. During his keynote address, Zubieta spoke about the Panama Canal Expansion Program and briefed the audience on the project. To date, 100 percent of the excavation work has been completed for the first two phases of the Pacific access channel and close to 30 percent of work completed on the deepening and widening of Gatun Lake and the Gaillard Cut (the narrowest stretch in the Panama Canal).
“Forums such as PIANC’s Congress are a great opportunity to connect with industry insiders and the maritime public at large. We have a long-standing partnership with this organization and look forward to our continued collaboration,” said Zubieta. “In the early stages of the Panama Canal expansion studies, PIANC’s reports were instrumental in helping the ACP in its search for proven locks technologies used around the world, such as rolling gates and water-saving basins. I am honored to be this year’s keynote speaker and report that our historic Expansion Program is moving ahead on time and on budget.”
PIANC is a global organization providing guidance for sustainable waterborne transport infrastructure for ports and waterways. Every four years, a congress, open to the public, is held in one of PIANC’s member countries for the presentation and discussion of papers on subjects of current significance to waterways and maritime interests. The Congress is a four-day event, which covers all aspects of maritime and inland waterway navigation, including recreation, environment and international development. The program includes invited lectures, technical papers, technical visits and networking events.