|
The Panama Canal expansion project, also called the Third Set of Locks Project, is intended to double the capacity of the Panama Canal by 2016 by creating a new lane of traffic and allowing more and larger ships, the New Panamax size, which are about one and a half times the current maximum width and length (known as Panamax) and can carry over twice as much cargo. The project is planned to: *Build two new locks, one each on the Atlantic and Pacific sides, and excavate new channels to the new locks. Each will have three chambers with water-saving basins.. *Widen and deepen existing channels. *Raise the maximum operating level of Gatun Lake.〔(''Proposal for the Expansion of the Panama Canal'' by the ''Panama Canal Authority'' ) 〕 Then-Panamanian President Martín Torrijos formally proposed the project on 24 April 2006, saying it would transform Panama into a First World country. A national referendum approved the proposal by a 76.8 percent majority on 22 October, and the Cabinet and National Assembly followed suit. The project formally began in 2007.〔 (Canal, Consortium Reach Deal to Complete Work'' by the ''Wall Street Journal'' ) (en inglés)〕 It was initially announced that the Canal expansion would be completed by August 2014 to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Panama Canal but various setbacks, including strikes and disputes with the construction consortium over cost overruns, pushed the completion date first to June 2015 then December 2015. 〔http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-2725552/Panama-Canal-turns-100-expansion-hits-snags.html〕 〔http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-26587046〕 On 14 April 2015, Canal Project Minister Roberto Roy announced that the Canal expansion would be operational by 1 April 2016.〔http://www.panamaoffshorecenter.com/panama-canal-expansion-will-be-operational-on-april-1-2016/news_id_1372.html〕 The project is expected to create demand for ports to handle New Panamax ships. Several U.S. Eastern Seaboard ports will be ready for these larger ships, and others are considering renovations, including dredging, blasting, and bridge raising. In the UK, the Port of Southampton can handle post-Panamax vessels and is expanding to accommodate more, while the Port of Liverpool will be capable by 2015 and others are considering such expansion. ==Background== The Panama Canal has a limited capacity determined by operational times and cycles of the existing locks and further constrained by the current trend towards larger (close to Panamax-sized) vessels transiting the canal, requiring more transit time in the locks and channels. Also, periodic maintenance on the aging canal requires shutdowns of this waterway. Demand is growing due to the growth of international trade, and many users require a guaranteed level of service. Despite the gains which have been made in efficiency, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) estimated that the canal would reach its maximum sustainable capacity between 2009 and 2012.〔 The long-term solution for the congestion is the expansion of the canal with a third set of locks. The size of ships that can transit the canal, called Panamax, is constrained by the size of the locks, which are wide and long, and deep. The third set of locks will allow transit of larger, Post-Panamax ships, which have a greater cargo capacity than the current locks can handle. All of the canal-widening studies since the 1930s have determined that the best way to increase canal capacity is by building a third set of locks larger than the 1914 locks. The US began excavations for new locks in 1939, but abandoned them in 1942 because of the outbreak of World War II.〔 This conclusion was again reached in the 1980s by the tripartite commission formed by Panama, Japan, and the US. More recently, the studies developed by the Panama Canal Authority ((スペイン語:Autoridad del Canal de Panamá (ACP))) for its 2025 master plan confirm that a third, larger set of locks is the most suitable, profitable, and environmentally responsible option.〔 Former president Martín Torrijos, in an 24 April 2006 speech announcing the project, said that the canal "is like our 'petroleum'. Just like the petroleum that has not been extracted is worthless and that in order to extract it you have to invest in infrastructure, the canal requires to expand its capacity to absorb the growing demand of cargo and generate more wealth for Panamanians".〔(''Panama to Vote on Canal Expansion Oct. 22'', ''The Washington Post'' ) 〕 While the canal expansion is being completed, and considering the high operational costs of the vessels, the long queues that occur during the high season December through to March (sometimes up to a seven-day delay), and the high value of some of the cargo transported through the canal, the ACP has implemented a Transit Booking System and Transit Slot Auction to allow a better management of the scarce capacity available and to increase the level of service offered to the shipping companies. The scheme gives users two choices: (1) transit by order of arrival on a first-come, first-served basis, as the canal historically has operated; or (2) booked service for a fee—a congestion charge. The booked service allows two options of fees. The Transit Booking System, available online, allowing customers who do not want to wait in queue to pay an additional 15% over the regular tolls, guaranteeing a specific day for transit and crossing the canal in 18 hours or less. ACP sells 24 of these daily slots up to 365 days in advance. The second choice is high priority transit. Since 2006, ACP has made available a 25th slot, sold through the Transit Slot Auction to the highest bidder. The main customers of the Transit Booking System are cruise ships, container ships, vehicle carriers, and non-containerized cargo vessels. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Panama Canal expansion project」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|