Panama Canal Expansion Nears 80% Completion as Set of Gates is Delivered

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) received a third shipment of gates for the canal expansion project locks, the ACP said in an emailed Sept. 8 statement. The final set of gates, which will bring the total number to 16, is set for delivery by January 2015, the statement said, adding that the expansion project is now 79 percent complete. ACP officials said in July the project was 75 percent complete (see 14031711). Both ACP and the contractor commissioned to construct the project are targeting the end of 2015 for total completion. Ships are slated to begin testing the new locks in mid-2015, after water is filled in the locks by late spring 2015, Reuters reported on Sept. 7 (here).