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Pedro Miguel News

24 Dec 2015

Panama Canal locks lane outage, Transit Reservation System

According to the ACP’s Advisory to Shipping A-39-2015, locks lane outages at Pedro Miguel (west) and Gatun (east) locks are confirmed from midnight 26 December until noon on 30 December 2015 for repairs and maintenance.   During this period, the Transit Reservation System will be in Condition 2 which means that for Supers, unless there are cancellations by previously booked vessels, there will be no slots in the third period opening. For Regulars, there will be two slots available.   For information about operations in Panama contact GAC Wilford & Mackay at gac.com/panama.

17 Dec 2014

Panama Canal Expansion Moves Ahead

The works for the grout curtain to protect the foundation of Borinquen 1E Dam concluded today. The grout curtain is 2.4 kilometers long and 15 meters deep under the core of the foundation of Borniquen 1E Dam, located on the west side of Pedro Miguel Locks. “This is another important component of the Expansion Program that is successfully moving forward,” said Panama Canal Administrator Jorge L. Quijano. The grout curtain will prevent ground-water seepage and erosion of materials through the foundation of Borinquen 1E Dam, by filling with cement the rock fractures, void spaces and discontinuities located below the dam's foundation. The works are part of the Pacific Access Channel 4 (PAC-4) project, which is one of the components of the Expansion Program.

22 Oct 2014

New Gate Transits the Panama Canal

Photo courtesy of the Panama Canal

The first gate for the new locks in the Pacific side began transit Wednesday morning through the Panama Canal, signaling another historic milestone in the progress of the Expansion Program. The gate transits the waterway aboard the Crowley 455-4 barge from the Atlantic temporary dock to the Pacific, assisted by two Panama Canal tugs. It completed its transit through Gatun Locks in the Atlantic this morning. The gate will continue its transit throughout the day, arriving at Pedro Miguel and Miraflores Locks later this afternoon.

27 Oct 2013

Panama Canal Advisory: Changed Lane Outage Dates

For operational reasons, the lane outages at Pedro Miguel and Gatun locks for miter gate maintenance scheduled from Thursday, October 31, to Friday, November 1, 2013, will be rescheduled to begin on Wednesday, October 30, 2013, at 2200 hours through Thursday, October 31, 2013, at 0600 hours. As a result, and in accordance with the rules governing the Transit Reservation System (OP’s Notice to Shipping No. N-7-2013), Condition 1.a will be in effect on October 31, 2013. Applications for reserved transits while this condition is in effect will be received beginning at 0900 hours October 28, 2013. The Just-In-Time (JIT) transit slots available for booked supers will be reduced to one (1) per direction…

01 Jun 2009

Panama Canal Invests $320m in Current Canal

As work on the expansion project progresses, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) continues to modernize and upgrade the existing waterway, resulting in streamlined operations and increased capacity. Recent modernizations, valued at $320m, include an improved lighting system in the Canal’s locks; a new track and turntable system; the acquisition of five new tugboats; an additional tie-up station; and, the replacement and reconstruction of the ACP’s launch fleet. According to the ACP…

20 May 2009

ACP Cartagena Tie-Up Station

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) announced that its second tie-up station, located at Cartagena approach, is in full operation. The new station allows the Canal to transit at least one additional vessel per day. The management of the Canal constantly strives to increase daily transits, bolster customer service, save customers money and enhance efficiency. The way the ACP schedules vessel transits, traffic goes northbound (Pacific to Atlantic) in the morning and switches to southbound (Atlantic to Pacific) in the afternoon.

27 Oct 2008

Panama Canal Announce Results

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) announced its operational metrics for the 2008 fiscal year (FY 08). Year-end (October 2007 – September 2008) statistics reveal a marginal decline in total transits and tonnage when compared to FY 07. However, the Canal also experienced growth in core segments, most notably tanker and passenger transits. transits remained fairly constant, with a slight decline of 0.1 percent – from 14,721 to 14,702 transits. Booked transits (excluding auctioned slots) increased 3.9 percent – from 7,857 to 8,167 transits.

20 May 2008

Panama Canal Releases 2Q Data

Total Canal transits decreased 2 percent during Q2 – from 4,053 to 3,971 transits. Panama Canal/Universal Measurement System (PC/UMS) tonnage also dropped 2.6 percent – from 80.4 million PC/UMS tons to 78.4 million PC/UMS tons. Passenger transits increased 34.8 percent – from 92 to 124 transits – while dry bulk transits rose 6.7 percent, from 586 to 625 transits and dry bulk cargo tonnage increased 10.4 percent, from 12.3 to 13.5 million PC/UMS tons. The number of containers, vehicle carriers, tankers and general cargo dropped when compared to figures for FY 2007. Refrigerated cargo transits slightly decreased, by 1.4 percent, but refrigerated cargo tonnage increased 1.1 percent – from 5.6 million PC/UMS tons to 5.7 million PC/UMS tons.

09 May 2008

HMS Bounty Travels Through Panama Canal

The H.M.S Bounty transited the through the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores Locks as part of a world wind promotional tour celebrating the ship’s historic significance. waters for the first time since the 1990’s, the Bounty left , on April 6, and is scheduled to visit the U.S. West Coast cities of , and , among others, before arriving in for the 220th Anniversary of its original arrival. Recognizable by name for a maritime mutiny that took place more than 200 years ago and from cinematic roles in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s 1962 portrayal of “Mutiny on the Bounty…

26 Aug 2003

Panama Canal Deepening Project Ahead of Schedule

Panama Canal Authority project to deepen the navigational channel in Gatun Lake is 40 percent complete - ahead of schedule and within budget. The project's goal is to deepen the channel in the Lake, the large, man-made body of water that all ships navigate when transiting the Canal. Among the many benefits, when complete, the deepening will provide an additional meter of water storage, a 45 percent increase. This would minimize future draft restrictions, enhancing reliability and improving vessel safety, and accommodate future demand for drinking water.

08 Jan 2004

Crowley Ships Unique Equipment for Smithsonian

Crowley Liner Services is in the process of transporting one 20-ft. flatbed and one 20-ft. unique satellite equipment from Houston, Texas to Panama as part of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute's Jason Project, a research and learning series on rainforests. The cargo departed Houston by ship on Jan. 2 and is expected to arrive in Panama January 9. Crowley was chosen for the job by Total Export of Florida Inc. and Leblanc Enterprises, Ltd. The satellite, which is the only one like it in the world, required careful handling by Crowley and was secured onto the vessel for transport with hooks and wires. The satellite and its production equipment will allow the broadcast of 55 shows (five shows per day for 11 days) for JASON XV: Rainforests at the Crossroads…

19 Apr 2002

Panama Canal Security, Fees Set to Rise

In step with the rest of the maritime world, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) is making major investments to improve security and reduce the risk and vulnerability of its facilities. Because of these investments, though, which include expanding the Canal's electronic monitoring and tracking systems, a new fee will be assessed on all transiting vessels as of June 1, 2002. Among other things, improvements include adding new computerized systems and collecting data from all ships that arrive in Canal waters. The ACP is currently working on the Automatic Identification System (AIS), to be test- activated in 2002 and mandatory by July 2003. AIS will permit identifying and tracking all vessels before they enter Canal waters and during their transit.

08 Dec 2000

Thai Cargo Vessel Slams Into Panama Canal Lock

A Thai-flagged cargo vessel collided with a wall on the approaches to one of the Panama Canal's three sets of locks, but traffic in the Canal was unaffected, the waterway's administration said on Thursday. The ship, Nopporn Naree, slammed into the concrete wall as it prepared to pass northbound through Pedro Miguel Locks en route to the Caribbean on Wednesday morning, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) said. No injuries were reported following the collision, but the 479-ft. (146-m) vessel's impact damaged a towing locomotive used to guide ships through the lock's chambers, the Authority said. The vessel left Canal waters on Thursday, after taking on supplies of bunker fuel. Traffic through the 50-mile waterway was unaffected by the incident.

25 Jan 2001

Panama Canal Partially Blocked By Spill

The Panama Canal was partially blocked after a Greek-flagged tanker spilled about 162 gallons of crude oil during a southbound transit of one of the waterway's three sets of locks, the canal's administration said. Staff from the waterway's Emergencies and Contingencies Division detained the tanker Neapolis as it passed through Pedro Miguel lock, after they spotted the vessel leaking crude oil, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) said in a news release. The 749-ft. (228-m) by 105-ft. (32-m) vessel, which was headed for the Pacific Ocean, remained in the western lane of the lock's upper chamber Thursday morning while personnel worked to staunch the flow of oil, the ACP said. - (Reuters)

17 Feb 2005

Panama Canal Debuts Revised Measurement, Pricing

Following a recommendation from the Board of Directors of the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), the Cabinet Council of the Republic of Panama today approved a new measurement and pricing system for full container vessels and other vessel types with on-deck container carrying capacity. “The bottom line is that we simply closed a loophole that prevented us from charging for containers carried on-deck,” said Administrator/CEO Alberto Alemán Zubieta. “Today, with some ships carrying more containers on-deck than in the ship’s belly, this new system is more equitable, more transparent and will provide the Canal with a fair price. The ACP included in the revised system several recommendations from informal and formal consultations with representatives from maritime associations…

20 Sep 2007

IBIA Delegates Warned of Costs of Unfeasible Distillates Switch

The International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA) was told at its annual convention in Montreal this month that a new report estimates that it would cost $67b over the next five years to implement a wholesale switch from traditional bunker fuels to distillates only for the world merchant fleet. The distillates-only option was also described as “unfeasible”, due to lack of sufficient refining capacity. The report, prepared for the American Petroleum Institute (API) by EnSys Energy & Systems Inc and Navigistics Consulting, highlights the considerable costs of meeting possible stricter air emissions regulations imposed by a revised MARPOL Annex VI and…

17 Jul 2007

Mitscher Transits the Panama Canal

USS Mitscher (DDG-57) successfully completed a northbound Panama Canal transit early morning on July 12, marking the first trip through the historic canal for the 13-year old warship. Mitscher entered the Miraflores Lock near midnight July 11, and then proceeded north through the Pedro, Miguel and Gatun Locks before emerging at 4 a.m. near Cristobal, Panama. “The Panama Canal transit was a fitting end to the Central and South American phase of our Partnership of Americas deployment,” stated Cmdr. William McKinley, Mitscher’s commanding officer. “Most of the crew had never made the transit and will never forget this event. Sailors were up through the night to assist in navigation and line-handling details, as Mitscher traveled the 44.5 miles of canal.

14 May 2007

Panama Canal: First Tender for $5b Expansion

access channel on the Pacific end of the Canal. substantially larger vessels. approximately 16 percent of the total excavation for the new Pacific Locks Access Channel. and ditches. “We are making history with the release of the first construction project tender. Jorge L. Quijano. Information about this tender (No. www.pancanal.com. submissions. The ACP expects to award the contract in July or August 2007.

18 Oct 2006

ACP Presents Expansion Proposal at Conference

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) presented its expansion proposal at the Caribbean Shipping Association’s (CSA) 36th Annual General Meeting, Conference and Exhibition, held in Panama for the first time, on October 16-18, 2006. The conference was inaugurated by Dr. Ricaurte Vásquez, Minister of Canal Affairs and President of the ACP Board of Directors. The annual CSA conference provides its members an opportunity to discuss the latest trends and issues in cargo and cruise shipping, terminal and port operations and port industrial relations. A key highlight of this conference was a tour of the Panama Canal. CSA members took a partial transit through the waterway onboard a ship – starting at Gamboa, going through the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores Locks and ending at Fort Amador Marina.

22 Aug 2006

Panama Canal Locks Undergo Dry Chamber Overhaul

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) recently undertook scheduled maintenance work in four of the lock gates of the west chamber in the Gatún Locks. The work, which began on Tuesday, August 15, was completed Sunday, August 20th, and required draining the locks chamber. The lock gates and valves also underwent a system of corrosion protection. Canal customers are informed of maintenance work up to a year in advance to minimize delays and the impact to vessel transit service. Each set of locks is named after the city in which it was constructed: Gatún (on the Atlantic side), Pedro Miguel and Miraflores (on the Pacific). The lock chambers measure 33.53 meters wide by 304.8 meters long.

22 Aug 2006

Panama Canal Locks Undergo Overhaul

Panama Canal Authority work crews conduct a scheduled maintenance and overhaul at Gatún Locks, located at the Atlantic Ocean entrance to the Canal. The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) recently undertook scheduled maintenance work in four of the lock gates of the west chamber in the Gatún Locks. The work, which began on Tuesday, August 15, was completed Sunday, August 20, and required draining the locks chamber. The lock gates and valves also underwent a system of corrosion protection. Each set of locks is named after the town in which it was constructed: Gatún (on the Atlantic side), Pedro Miguel and Miraflores (on the Pacific).

07 Dec 1999

Transition In History: A Look At The Panama Canal

Dubbed "The Greatest Engineering Wonder of the World," the Panama Canal has experienced a whirlwind run since President Woodrow Wilson flicked a switch of the first gushes of water to flow through the 51-mile body of water that is arguably the most important shipping channel in world. It was 1914 and it was as though Central America and Europe — situated at opposite sides of the Atlantic — were worlds apart. For it was in the Central American country of Panama where workers from many nations joined forces to build the massive Panama Canal, while hostilities in Europe were quickly leading to WWI. Together, these workers, who came from all walks of life and all different backgrounds - all shared one dream - to be part of a piece of history that to this day…