| Code: 79793 |

Test of new Panama Canal locks where cracks were detected deemed a success

TIN news:   The Panama Canal Authority, or ACP, said a successful test was conducted on a section of the new third set of locks where cracks were discovered last year.
The test by the GUPC consortium responsible for the new locks, led by Spanish construction group Sacyr Vallehermoso, consisted of gradually raising the water behind Gate No. 6 of the Cocoli locks to the level in which leaks were detected last August.
Repairs to the cracks detected in one of the walls of the Cocoli locks, located on the Pacific side, were completed successfully earlier this month, the waterway’s administrators said.
The ACP said the consortium was completing a series of tests ahead of the scheduled inauguration of the third set of locks, the centerpiece of an expansion program launched in 2007 with an initial budget of $5.25 billion.
The expansion of the waterway, used by 6 percent of global trade, was originally scheduled for completion in 2014 but the inauguration was pushed back and now is expected to take place prior to the end of the second quarter.
With the new set of locks, the canal will be able to handle up to 600 million tons of cargo annually, double its current capacity.

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