La Prensa - With the simultaneous detonation of 36 tons of explosives yesterday, the height of "Cerro Paraíso" was reduced from 136 meters to 55 meters. The explosion is, according to the Panama Canal Authority, the second largest blasting operation since the start of the project to expand the Panama Canal on 3 September 2007. The explosives were used to break up the solid rock of cerro Paraíso, and comprises part of the work to build the third set of locks and expand the Panama Canal. (Photo Credit: La Prensa/Ana Rentería)

By Carlos Barletta (Bloomberg) -- Panamanian President Martin Torrijos said the $5.2 billion Panama Canal expansion project is on schedule and the government is still considering options for financing $2.5 billion of the costs. ``The Panama Canal board is meeting with financial advisers to seek the best terms,'' Torrijos said today during a visit to a construction site where workers were excavating rock to widen the 93-year-old canal that links the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Torrijos said 283,000 Panamanians have applied to work on the expansion, or about 12 percent of the country's workforce, according to the comptroller's office. The agency that oversees the canal estimates as many as 7,000 jobs will be created in construction, with an additional 40,000 new positions in related industries such as ship repair and fuel sales. The Panama Canal agency has signed $287 million worth of contracts. By the end of 2008, it plans to announce the winner of a $3 billion project to add locks to the waterway. Bidders include Bilfinger Berger AG of Germany, Empresas ICA SAB of Mexico, Japan's Mitsubishi Corp. and Bechtel Group Inc. from the U.S.

Maritime Global Net.com - PANAMA Canal Authority (ACP) deputy administrator/CFO José Barrios Ng was presented with the “Best Long Term Performance Project” and “Strategic Project of the Year” awards for the Panama Canal Expansion Program at the 6th Annual CG/LA Infrastructure Latin-American Forum held at the Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay Thursday, 3 April. Every year, CG/LA Infrastructure forms a committee to select executives and companies that have demonstrated remarkable strategy, clear vision and prominent ideas to move the region forward. The panel made up of sponsors from different countries recognizes those executives and companies for their leadership. The Panama Canal Expansion Program received two awards: “Best Long Term Performance,” as it will be ongoing for at least five years, and the “Strategic Project of the Year" award in Latin America. Other countries that were also awarded for their infrastructure initiatives were Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica. “We are honored by this recognition and I share this with the best asset of the Canal, our hard-working world-class work force. This award also represents the foresight of all Panamanians whose support has been instrumental in making this project a reality,” said Deputy Administrator/CFO José Barrios Ng.

Herald Tribune.com - Executives from more than 14 seaports in the southeastern United States will be at Port Manatee and the Sarasota Hyatt on Thursday and Friday. Manatee County's port and Seabulk Towing are the hosts of a regional conference of the International Propeller Club of the United States. The topic is how an expansion of the Panama Canal to accommodate larger vessels will affect American ports from Charleston to Houston. Rodolfo Sabonge, vice president of market research and analysis for the Panama Canal Authority, will be a guest speaker Friday. Port Manatee Executive Director David McDonald will moderate a panel discussion. To register for the conference or attend specific events, go to www.manateepropellerclub.com.

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - National Public Radio did a couple of shows recently about Panama and the expansion of the Panama Canal, water, trees, and drought:

• Shallow Water Ahead for Panama Canal
  
  
• Do Trees Worsen Droughts?

Thanks for the heads-up, Chris.

Tampa Bay Business Journal - Maritime and port executives from 14 Southeast port communities are scheduled to attend a conference on how the Panama Canal expansion will impact ports from Charleston to Houston. The 2008 Southeast Region Conference of the International Propeller Club of the United States is open to the public. It will feature Rodolfo Sabonge, vice president of the office of market research and analysis of the Panama Canal Authority, on April 11 at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota. John Vickerman, founding principal of TranSystems Corp., will open the two-day conference from Port Manatee explaining his views on "Planning for a Bigger, Wider Canal" on April 10. The conference's two key presentations are separated by a Panama Canal panel discussion at Port Manatee moderated by David L. McDonald, executive director of the Manatee County Port Authority. Registration for the entire conference is $250. To register go to www.manateepropellerclub.com.

By Jerónimo Ramírez U. for La Estrella - The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) awarded the contract to dredge the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal as part of the canal expansion project to the Belgian company Dredging Internacional, who presented a bid of more than $177.5 million dollars. The two other companies that participated were Boskalis International BV bidding more than $258.8 million dollars, and a consortium consisting of Jan De Nul N.V/Van Oord Dredging and Marine Contractors BV for more than $485.4 million dollars. The European company winning the contract is one of the most important dredging companies in the world and has some of the most sophisticated equipment in this industry, according to the ACP.

El Siglo - The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) awarded a contract to design and build a new cut and suction dredge, which will be used as part of the program to expand the Panama Canal, for a cost of $95.9 million dollars. The new dredge, which will be delivered in May 2011, will be designed and built by the Dutch company IHC Beaver Dredgers B.V., a world-wide leader in this industry, in a shipyard in Sliedrecht, Holland and delivered in canal waters, according to the ACP. The dredge will have modern equipment, systems and components, with the required yield and functionality for its efficient operation. The machine will have the capacity to dredge throughout the canal (Corte Culebra, Gatún lake, and the Pacific and Atlantic entrances to the canal) and will be able to dredge down to a depth of 25 meters, even after the expansion is complete. With this new dredge the ACP will increase the productive capacity of its dredging fleet. At the moment the ACP has one "cut and suction" dredge built in 1942.

By Ana Rentería for La Prensa - The first contract for excavation and dirt removal for the expansion of the Panama Canal has advanced 24%. This information was included in a report delivered to the company responsible for the execution of the contract to the Advisory Board of the Panama Canal, which has been meeting since yesterday.

By JIM LANDERS / The Dallas Morning News TAMPA, Fla. – Port directors say the United States is not ready for the shake-up in trade patterns across the Western Hemisphere that is likely to follow the expansion of the Panama Canal, which is now under way. That lack of preparedness could mean higher prices than necessary for imported goods, costly delays in moving U.S. exports out of the country – and economic benefits for Caribbean seaports that might otherwise flow to Houston, Corpus Christi and inland to Dallas.Port directors, shipping company managers, government leaders and financiers at a conference in Tampa, Fla, last week described a slew of problems facing the ports and transportation companies on the Gulf and East coasts as they seek to capitalize on what should be a golden opportunity. (more)

Tampa Bay Business Journal - Sean Connaughton, administrator of the U.S. Marine Administration, led off Wednesday's conference on the Panama Canal expansion and the resulting shift in international trade routes. The Port of Tampa needs to invest in its infrastructure and diversify its product line if it is to capture its share of the projected increased shipping when the Panama Canal completes its expansion in 2014, said Connaughton. While the Panama Canal expansion completion is six years away, that isn't much time in the maritime industry when talking about infrastructure improvements, he said. Ports that begin investing now will be ready to capture additional market share in 2014. (more)

bizjournals.com - The Panama Canal Authority administrator and senior executives of Zim and other shipping lines are scheduled to participate in the Panama Canal Expansion Workshop Jan. 23-24. Hosted by the Tampa Port Authority, the American Association of Port Authorities workshop will examine shifting international trade routes, possible development needs at ports and financing opportunities spawned by the expansion. Richard Wainio, Tampa Port Authority chief executive officer, will lead a discussion related to the impacts of the expansion, according to release from the authority. Expansion of the Panama Canal - a $5.25 billion project - began in September. It is expected to be completed in 2014, but the shipping industry and ports already are instituting measures designed to capitalize on the expansion.

By T.E. Raja Simhan for The Hindu Business Line - If the US sneezes, the Asian maritime industry catches cold. That is the level of dependence on US, especially for countries such as India and China. But things could change in the next few years with demand from Europe increasing. Large container ships have already started plying between Asia and Europe. It appears that Asia-US container traffic grew to the order of 6.9 per cent in the first half of 2007, rising to around 8 per cent for the first nine months, relative to the same period in 2006. Analyst forecasts predict, on average, similar or slightly higher cargo growth for 2008. (more)

PANAMA CITY, Panama, December 26, 2007 – The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) released its Request for Proposal (RFP) Friday on the “design-build” contract for the new locks under the Canal’s Expansion Program. Four global consortia will now move forward with their bids on what will be the largest and most important project under the $5.25 billion expansion. The Expansion Program will build a new lane of traffic along the Panama Canal through the construction of a new set of locks, doubling capacity and allowing more traffic and longer, wider ships. The ACP will meet with consortia representatives in February 2008 regarding the content of the RFP for the construction of the new set of locks. Proposals are due August 2008. The ACP will evaluate bids based on the best value concept, with emphasis on technical components (60 percent) and price (40 percent). Following a thorough review, the ACP expects to award the contract in December 2008. (more)

PANAMA CITY (AFP) — Panama will take bids from four international consortiums seeking to build new, larger ship locks for the Panama Canal, government officials said Friday. The locks are a key part of the 5.25 billion-dollar canal expansion project begun in September, aimed at doubling the capacity of the 50-mile (80-kilometer) canal connecting two oceans. Panamanian officials hope the project will be finished by 2014. The four consortiums now have until August 2008 to present final proposals and price tags to compete for the contract, said Alberto Aleman, head of the Panama Canal Authority. (more)

NEW YORK, NY, December 13, 2007 – "The most important infrastructure project in Latin America," is how Panama Canal Authority (ACP) Administrator/CEO Alberto Alemán Zubieta described the Panama Canal expansion project. Addressing a crowd of 300 industry professionals at the 1st Annual Global Infrastructure Leadership Forum in New York City yesterday, Mr. Alemán outlined key elements of the waterway’s largest construction project in its history. During his keynote speech, Mr. Alemán highlighted the importance of the expanded waterway and said: "The expansion of the Panama Canal is the most important infrastructure project of the region. It will benefit not only Panama, but the region and the world as well. We are constantly working on modernizing the existing Canal, and with an expanded waterway, we will be able to accommodate larger ships with more tonnage. The Panama Canal has always been vital to world commerce and shipping. Our goal is to become the transportation and logistics hub of the Americas." (more)

Taipei (dpa) - Taiwan's Foreign Minister James Huang is holding talks in Panama on cooperation including joining in the expansion of the Panama Canal, the Foreign Ministry said Friday. Panama has been mulling expanding the Panama Canal to take bigger cargo ships, and Taiwan is eager to join in the expansion in order to consolidate diplomatic ties, as Panama is one of the 24 countries which recognize Taiwan, and because Taiwan, home of the Evergreen and Yangming shipping companies, is the 12th-largest user of the canal. Half of Taiwan's allies are in Latin America and the Caribbean, and safeguarding ties with these countries became more urgent after Costa Rica cut ties with Taipei to recognize Beijing in June. In July, Vice President Anette Lu visited the Dominican Republic, Paraguay and Guatemala with a refuelling stop in Panama. The official purpose of her trip was to attend celebrations marking five decades of Taiwanese-Paraguayan friendship, but Taiwan press reports claimed it was a damage-control trip to prevent Taiwan's remaining Latin American allies from dumping Taiwan after Costa Rica had changed side.

eyefortransport.com - In what will be the largest contract under the Panama Canal’s Expansion Program – to design and build the new locks – the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has received statements of qualifications yesterday from the four consortia vying for the job. The Expansion Program will build a new lane of traffic along the Panama Canal through the construction of a new set of locks, which will double capacity and allow more traffic and longer, wider ships. The four consortia comprise thirty companies from thirteen countries:

• * Consorcio C.A.N.A.L.
• * Consortia members: ACS Servicios, Comunicaciones y Energía (Spain), Acciona Infraestructuras (Spain), Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas (Spain), Hochtief Construction (Germany), Constructoras ICA (Mexico)
• * Designers: Sener Ingeniería y Sistemas (Spain), Haskoning Nederland (Holland), Hochtief Consult (Germany), Mott Macdonald (UK)
• * Gate manufacturers: ACS Servicios, Comunicaciones y Energía (Spain)
  
  
• * Consorcio Atlántico-Pacífico de Panamá
• * Consortia members: Bouygues Travaux Publics (France), Bilfinger Berger (Germany), VINCI Construction Grands Projets (France), Construcoes e Comercio Camargo Correa (Brazil), Construtora Andrade Gutierrez (Brazil), Construtora Queiroz Galvao (Brazil), ALSTOM Hydro Energia Brasil (France), BARDELLA Industrias Mecánicas (Brazil)
• * Designers: AECOM (US)
• * Gate manufacturers: ALSTOM Hydro Energia Brasil (France)
  
  
• * Bechtel, Taisei, Mitsubishi Corp
• * Consortia members: Bechtel Internacional (US), Taisei Corp (Japan), Mitsubishi Corp (Japan)
• * Designers: Bechtel Internacional (US)
• * Gate manufacturers: Wuchang Shipyard (China)
  
  
• * Grupo Unidos por el Canal
• * Consortia members: Sacyr Vallehermoso (Spain), Impregilo (Italy), Jan de Nul (Belgium), Constructora Urbana (Panama)
• * Designers: Montgomery Watson Harza (US), IV-Groep (Holland), Tetra Tech (US)
• * Gate manufacturers: Heerema Fabrication Group (Holland)
  
  

Author: Newsdesk / eyefortransport.com

C.J. Schexnayder for the Engineering News Record - Panamaxed out. Larger locks will mean larger vessels will be able to use the canal in 2014. On Friday, four consortia applied for qualification to build the $3.35-billion locks that will be the heart of the massive expansion to the Panama Canal. When completed, the new lock system will double the capacity of the historic waterway. "The locks project is the most important contract under the Expansion Program, and we foresee strong competition for the project," said Jorge L. Quijano, Executive Vice President of Engineering and Program Management with the Panama Canal Authority. (more) (Photo Credit: C.J. Schexnayder)

Mercopress.com - A consortium led by Mexican billionaire tycoon Carlos Slim posted the cheapest bid on Wednesday to win the latest small contract to expand the Panama Canal, part of the wider 5.25 billion US dollars project. The consortium beat out competitors from Colombia and the United States, as well as Mexican construction firm ICA, with a bid of 25.5 million for the excavation of 7.5 million cubic meters of earth, the Panama Canal Authority said. The awarding of the contract to the consortium –called Consorcio Cilsa Minera María and registered in Panama and Mexico– depends on its paperwork being in order. There were seven other bidders. The contract is the second, and one of the smallest, of five dredging contracts that the Panama Canal Authority has planned in its effort to double the capacity of the canal by 2014. It is the first contract won by one of Slim's firms, which he also expressed interest in bigger projects yet to be awarded, including the construction of a third set of locks.

By Carlos Barletta (Bloomberg) -- The Panama Canal Authority said four consortiums submitted papers indicating they plan to bid on a $3.2 billion contract to install new locks in the waterway. The groups include 30 companies in 13 countries, the authority said today in an e-mailed statement. Participants include Germany's Bilfinger Berger AG, Mexico's Empresas ICA SAB, Japan's Mitsubishi Corp. and Bechtel Group Inc. of the U.S. The locks construction project makes up 60 percent of the total cost of the authority's $5.25 billion expansion plan for the 93-year-old waterway. Widening and deepening the waterway will allow bigger ships to pass through the canal connecting the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. (more)

By Gail Dutton for World Trade Magazine - The Panama Canal Authority is experiencing every company’s dream—a steady influx of business with more than it can handle in the wings. Fueled by the rapid growth of Asian exports, the canal has to expand to remain viable. And when it does, it will ensure that the fleet of post-Panamax (PPX) ships, which grew 143 percent since 2002, can finally transit the canal—raising the threshold of trans-Pacific trade up a magnitude. Today, ships carrying more than 4,000 TEUs generally are too big for the Canal’s existing locks. In planning a new lane, with longer and wider locks and deeper channels, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) expects to double cargo transiting capacity. With that capacity, say industry observers, should come reduced overall shipping costs and expanded shipping options after the new lane opens in 2014, in time for the canal’s centennial. (more)

Panama, Oct 22 (Prensa Latina) The enlargement of the Panama Canal must generate some 42,000 jobs, according to official statistics, although only 300 employments have been created so far. A report published in the newspaper La Prensa says that according to estimates by the administrating authority, four or five indirect jobs will be created per every direct employment. The study adds that more than 1,500 jobs will be created in 2007 and 2007 to enlarge the Panama Canal. The first 300 new jobs are dry excavation contracts started by the firm Constructora Urbana S.A. on September 3. A year after the enlargement works were approved in a popular referendum, Canal Administrator Alberto Aleman is satisfied with results. The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) is weighing the possibility to seek investment to finance the works on the local market. ACP Deputy Administrator Jose Barrios said 250-dollar bonds might be issued through the Stock Market, so that they cannot be hoarded by a single company. Construction of a third wider and deeper lock in the Panama Canal will cost 5.25 billion dollars, so it will be a great business for the international banking sector.

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Yesterday morning on a flight to Bocas del Toro we passed over Gatun Lake near the Gatun Locks. In this picture you can clearly see the excavations started in 1939 by the United States as part of a plan to expand the Panama Canal. Those plans were interrupted by the start of World War II and never restarted. The Panama Canal Authority will make use of these excavations, and this photo clearly shows the location of the future locks of the expanded Panama Canal. Please click on the image to see the full sized photo.

Copyright 2007 Text and Image by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.