U.S.-flag Great Lake carriers are using a recent 20-day closer of a lock at the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan to highlight the need for a second lock large enough to accommodate the largest ships servicing the Great Lakes region. According to the Lake Carriers' Association, representing the 16 American companies that operate 56 U.S.-flag vessels … [Read more...]
Expanded Panama Canal’s Final Lock Gate Installed
The last of 16 giant rolling gates for the new locks of the expanded Panama Canal was installed into place Thursday, marking a major milestone in the construction project. The gate, weighing about 4,200 tons, was slid into place in concrete wall of the new locks on the Pacific side using self-propelled motorized wheel transporters. The gate measures 57.6 meters long, 10 … [Read more...]
New World’s Largest Lock at Port of Antwerp Being Filled With Water
About 1 and a half million cubic meters of water is now being pumped into the new Deurganck dock lock at the Port of Antwerp, which is set to become the world's largest lock upon its completion in 2016. The lock is the second lock to be located at the Port of Antwerp in Waasland Port, a docking area on the left bank of the Scheldt river. Since the Scheldt is impacted by … [Read more...]
Time-Lapse: Offloading the Panama Canal’s Massive New Gates
Here's a time-lapse video just released by the Panama Canal Authority showing the offloading of the second shipment of gates for the Panama Canal's new third set of locks. The second shipment of four rolling gates for the new locks arrived at a special unloading dock Colón, Panama in June aboard the semi-submersible heavy-lift vessel STX Sun Rise following a month long … [Read more...]
First Gates Delivered to Expanded Panama Canal Lock Complex – PHOTOS
The first of new lock gates for the expanded Panama Canal have been transferred to the lock complex on the Atlantic side, marking another milestone in the $5 billion project to widen the canal. For the operation, workers used a self-propelled wheel transporter to move the 3,000-ton steel structures from a temporary unloading dock in Colón to the Gaton Lock complex. "This … [Read more...]