PANAMA

The third of four sets of locks for the expanded Panama Canal have now been delivered. The gates arrived on the ship Xia Zhi Yuan 6 traveling from Trieste Italy to the Atlantic entrance of the canal over the course of three weeks in late August and early September. The gates which are 190 feet long 33 feet wide and 100 feet tall will be used on the Pacific end of the canal. They were the source of controversy when a subcontractor threatened not to deliver them in a dispute with the Panama Canal Authority. The fourth set of gates should arrive in January 2015.