Panama Canal Makes Investments in Radar and Floating Equipment
The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) announced today two key investments - both part of the Canal's permanent modernization program. The ACP has purchased an advanced new meteorological radar system and will build a new launch vessel, making the Canal safer, faster and more efficient. The launch will be constructed in Panama by the ACP. The ACP's new meteorological radar system, model DWSR-8501S-9, was manufactured by Enterprise Electronics Corporation and is valued at more than a million dollars. The new radar will provide the Canal's Meteorological and Hydrological Section with cost-efficient and state-of-the-art information to make atmospheric predictions. This will help to control Canal water levels, to monitor rain in the Canal Watershed and to plan water spills at the Canal's dams.
Panama Canal Expansion Considered
The Panama Canal is nearing full capacity and should seriously consider expansion to continue to be a major player in world trade, according to maritime experts and Canal customers at the Panama Maritime VII Conference, held February 20-23. Participating in the event were Panamanian President Martin Torrijos, Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Efthimios Mitropoulos, and several representatives of the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), including Administrator/CEO Alberto Alemán Zubieta. For the past two years, the ACP has commissioned research and studies related to the Canal’s modernization and the future of the maritime industry, including whether to expand the waterway. At this time, a final decision on whether to expand the Canal has not been made.
Panama Canal Christens Drill Barge Baru
The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) held the christening ceremony of its new drill barge "Barú," named after Panama's only volcano. Entirely manufactured by Panamanians, the Barú is 51 meters long and 15 meters wide, nearly the size of two basketball courts. The new, state-of-the-art barge will play an instrumental role in the Canal's dredging initiatives. Dredging (deepening and widening navigation channels and other areas by extracting mud, rock and sand) is fundamental to maintaining and improving the Panama Canal's infrastructure. The Barú is equipped with four drilling rigs that can bore holes up to 30 meters in a single pass. The drilled holes are loaded with explosives and detonated to fracture the rock.
