Well, it is really 2 years behind schedule, but it looks like the June 26th date for the first COSCO container ship to go through is still on target. I read a story that the contractor has said work is complete, but now I can’t find the story 😉
Glenn Haege, the syndicated weekend radio guy who used to be affiliated with K-Mart has a statement about a fundamental scientific principle – “water wins”
To help understand what you are looking at, this was a test specifically looking for leaks. This is the sill underneath one of the lock gates. Normally the lower level lock would be filled to above the sill, creating back pressure, so this is not the normal situation.
The situation that scares the crap out of people who design locks is a complete failure, in which case the entire water volume from the higher level will rush through as fast as it can. The Panama Canal is also significant as it is a pathway between the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean and a pathway for invasive species
http://ocean.si.edu/ocean-videos/researching-invasive-species-near-panama-canal
Supplemental reading
http://www.postandcourier.com/20160607/160609452/new-challenges-for-tugboat-captains-with-expanded-panama-canal
Well the first ship is almost through, but not before it got dark.
The live coverage was either bizarre or my expectations were. Of course, the politicians had to give speeches, but then they broke out in a pageant of dancing, singing and pageantry in front of a Jumbotron that went on at least an hour.
I wanted to see gates open and close, water rush out of the locks, horns blast, tugs tugging, lines being cast, maybe the control room, and the ship’s captain issuing orders.
They have 150 reservation from now to the end of the year. Because the ships are too big to pass in the lake, operations basically have to alternate directions. I think their goal is to get four ships a day once the procedural kinks are worked out. Because two tugs travel with the ship through the lock, they have to traverse back through the lock to get the next ship. The process has issues.
The first Liquified Natural Gas ship will be transiting the expanded Panama Canal on Tuesday, a cargo that wasn’t even considered 10 years ago when construction was proposed.
http://www.guardian.co.tt/business/2016-07-21/atlantic%E2%80%99s-lng-cross-newly-expanded-panama-canal
This cargo is being transported from the Eastern Carribean to the West Coast of Mexico. Once the canal is running up to speed, LNG shipments to Asia could be a dominant user of the canal. The existing global fleet of LNG ships are too big for the old canal but not as big as they could be for the expanded canal.
The LNG facility in Lousiana built to import LNG (mentioned in the story) is being retrofitted to export LNG instead.
New Mexico Natural Gas is asking to build a pipeline up to the Mexico border for exporting Natural gas
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/new-mexico-gas-co-plans-natural-gas-pipeline-to-mexico/article_2db66cdd-ac7b-5aee-9a2c-2db62db92923.html
Obama and the Democrats are so wrong on the issue of fracking.
When I went to Bi-Lo, I noticed a garbage truck going by proudly proclaiming it was powered by compressed natural gas