No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeA man a plan a canal panamaBuilders vow to repair leak in Panama Canal

Builders vow to repair leak in Panama Canal

MADRID, Spain – Builders of a massive, trouble-plagued expansion of the Panama Canal said Thursday they will make repairs after authorities there said it had sprung a leak.

The canal, completed in 1914 to offer a short cut and safer journey for maritime traffic traveling between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, is undergoing a refit to triple its capacity. The improvement to the 80-kilometer (50-mile) long waterway, which is used by 13,000 to 14,000 ships each year, has been hit by delays and budget overruns.

“Cracks were detected in one of the walls,” said a spokeswoman for the Spanish construction group Sacyr, lead member of the Grupo Unidos Por el Canal consortium responsible for the expansion project. The fissures were found on the canal’s Pacific Locks, the spokeswoman added. “We are working on its resolution.”

The international consortium, which is nearing completion of a third set of locks on the canal, overran its initial $5.25-billion budget, leading to financial disputes with the Panama Canal Authority, the Panama government agency charged with operating the canal.

Originally scheduled for completion last year on the Panama Canal’s centenary, the project is now only expected to be ready in April 2016.

The Panama Canal Authority said Wednesday the builders had informed it of “localized seepage” found in the concrete sill between the lower and middle chamber of the canal’s expanded Pacific Locks.

The consortium said water was seeping through because of “insufficient steel reinforcement,” which had been subjected to extreme stress from testing, the Panama Canal Authority said in a statement.

“The contractor has an obligation to ensure the long-term performance on all aspects of the construction of the locks and to complete the expansion project following the quality standards established in the contract,” it said.

Despite the repairs, the international consortium had “verbally indicated” that it will still complete the project in April 2016, the authority said.

The consortium comprises Italy’s Salini Impregilio, Belgium’s Jan de Nul and Panama’s Constructora Urbana in addition to Sacyr.

The canal handles five percent of global shipping, but needs to upgrade its infrastructure in the face of rival bids for market share from Egypt’s Suez Canal and a new Nicaraguan canal being planned by a Chinese company.

 

Trending Now

Fan Violence in Latin American Football Spurs Debate on Security and Culture

Images of a fan jumping from the stands to escape a beating as bottles, rocks and seats fly through the air at a game...

Costa Rica’s Sibö Chocolate Wins Bronze at Int’l Awards

Chocolate Sibö once again stood out at the International Chocolate Awards, the largest fine chocolate competition based in New York. The Costa Rican brand...

Costa Rica President Confronts Calls to Strip Immunity

Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves denounced today an “attempted judicial coup” as he appeared before a congressional committee that must recommend to the full...

Panama Canal Warns of Traffic Decline as Economic Uncertainty Grows

The Panama Canal will take in about $400 million less in the next fiscal year due to a drop in ship traffic caused by...

El Salvador Schools Enforce Military-Style Uniform Inspections

El Salvador's public schools will start enforcing daily inspections for students' uniforms and haircuts from August 20, as ordered by the new education minister,...

Costa Rica Marks National Parks Day with Free Entry This Sunday

As everyone knows by now, our country stands out for its strong focus on protecting the environment. It leads in conservation efforts, manages its...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica