Winter Work on the Great Lakes
Along the 1,600-mile, ice gray arch of the St Lawrence Seaway, the 2020 Great Lakes commercial shipping season will lurch back to life on March 25 when the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. reopen.The ceremonial opening signals a passage with passable ice and the 114th Great Lakes season for its fleet of 45 venerable lakers. Most of these huge self-loading freight haulers are at least 50 years old, rust free, and fit; American steel sailing on a freshwater sea.To handle Great Lakes cargo…
New Approaches to Inland Infrastructure Renewal
Economical repairs are being applied to rapidly corroding steel and concrete structures in U.S. ports and inland waterways. The new repair systems – PileMedic & SPiRe – might just be what the doctor ordered. Recent advancements in using Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) for major structural repair and strengthening of submerged marine piles made of concrete or even timber has led to an economical, less invasive infrastructure repair solution for inland port development compared to current systems.
Delay 'Likely' in Opening of Expanded Panama Canal
The opening of a newly expanded Panama Canal, previously scheduled for April, will be postponed due to cracks detected in the new set of locks that are the centerpiece of the $5.25 billion overhaul, EFE quotes Panama Canal Authority (ACP) head Jorge Quijano as saying. The interoceanic waterway agency was still planning for the inauguration to occur during the second quarter of 2016 and no later than June. Under the new timetable, the GUPC consortium that is carrying out the expansion will begin navigation tests in April, Quijano said in statements to business leaders that the ACP forwarded to EFE. "We moved it to April due to these problems we had," the administrator said.
Sacyr Says Will Deliver Panama Canal expansion on Time
The consortium in charge of the expansion of the Panama Canal, led by Sacyr reported that the fissures presented in the third set of locks will not delay the opening date scheduled for April 2016. The Grupo Unidos por el Canal (GUPC), comprising the Sacyr Spanish and Italian Salini Impregilo, informed Autoridfad Panama Canal (ACP), the authority that manages the waterway, that is repairing the gaps in the walls of the locks caused by lack of steel reinforcement, and ensure other structures preventively. "Cracks were detected in one of the walls," said a spokeswoman for the Spanish construction group Sacyr, lead member of the Grupo Unidos Por el Canal consortium responsible for the expansion project. The fissures were found on the canal's Pacific Locks, the spokeswoman added.
Insufficient Steel Found in Panama Canal Locks Sill
The seepage found in the Panama Canal’s third set of locks is said to be the result of an inadequate amount of steel reinforcement, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) announced today. ACP said it was informed by the contractor responsible for the design and construction of the locks, Grupo Unidos por el Canal, S.A. (GUPC), that the localized seepage found in the concrete sill between the lower and middle chamber of the canal’s expanded Pacific Locks was caused by insufficient steel reinforcement in the area under stress from condition testing.
Hempel Launch High-solid Anti-fouling Paint
Hempel launches high-solids versions of their Globic, Oceanic and Olympic antifoulings, which offer optimised features and stronger ROI. The new versions, Globic 9000, Globic 6000, Oceanic+ and Olympic+, have been optimised to offer the benefits of high-solids. Reflecting Hempel’s commitment to investment in R&D, they offer optimised binder systems, polishing rates, biocides and solids levels. In addition, they also feature microfibre technology, which works like steel reinforcement in concrete to deliver superior mechanical strength and elasticity.
Hempel Launches High-Solids Antifouling
Hempel is launching high-solids versions of their Globic, Oceanic and Olympic antifoulings, which offer optimized features and stronger ROI, according to the company. The new versions, Globic 9000, Globic 6000, Oceanic+ and Olympic+, have been optimized to offer the benefits of high-solids. Reflecting Hempel’s commitment to investment in R&D, they offer optimized binder systems, polishing rates, biocides and solids levels. Globic 9000 is Hempel’s new top-end antifouling. An evolution of Globic NCT, it can be specified for 90-month docking intervals. Globic 6000 is a new product in the Globic series, which builds on the same technology as Globic 9000. It is suitable for 60-month intervals.
