PHOTOS: Second Shipment of Panama Canal’s Giant New Gates Arrives in Colón

The second shipment of four rolling gates for the new locks of the expanded Panama Canal arrived in Colón, Panama today aboard the semi-submersible heavy-lift vessel STX Sun Rise following a month long journey from Trieste, Italy.

The new gates come in two sizes, the larger being 57.6m long, 10m thick and 30.19m high and fabricated for the middle chamber of the new Pacific locks; and the smaller being 57.6m long, 8m thick and 22.3m tall, which will be located in the Atlantic site’s upper chamber.

The new locks will have a total of 16 rolling gates (eight for each new lock complex), unlike the current canal which uses miter gates. The remaining 8 gates will be shipped four at a time from Italy and are expected by the end of 2014.

The expansion of the Panama Canal involves the construction of a third set of gates that will allow for the passage of Post-Panamax vessels, which will double the Canal’s capacity.

Bonus Time-Lapse: Lock Gate Assembly in San Giorgio di Nogaro, Italy

Gate fabrication started in 2011 and is being conducted by Italian subcontractor Cimolai SpA.

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