Panama Canal ups its game?

The current Panama Canal expansion, which is due to be completed in June 2015, consists of two new sets of locks, one on the Pacific and one on the Atlantic side of the Canal.

Navigational channels in Gatun Lake and Culebra Cut will also be widened and deepened as part of the expansion, which will accommodate larger Post-Panamax vessels but won’t allow for the passage of Super Post-Panamax vessels, hence the need for additional locks.

Apparently, the fleet of Super Post-Panamax ships was 3% in 2013 in terms of cargo units and is likely to grow to 9% by 2016.

This could be in response to the Nicaraguan government’s apparent plans to award a Chinese company a 100 year concession to build a rival transoceanic canal.

When completed, the Nicaraguan Canal should be 22m deep and 286km long, meaning it will be able to accommodate mega container ships of 250,000dwt.