VOICED : Panama inicio pruebas con barcos por nuevo canal

Panama has started testing ships in its newly expanded canal. A Swiss Suismarín bulk carrier, measuring 255 meters in length and 43 meters in width, took about three hours to pass through the eight gates of the new lock. This followed over 2,000 electromechanical tests. The 80-kilometer interoceanic route has been under expansion since 2007 to accommodate ships carrying up to 14,000 containers, tripling the current capacity. A third lane with new locks was built, one in the Pacific and another in the Caribbean. The Panama Canal handles 5% of global maritime trade, with the U.S., China, and Chile as main users. The new canal is set to open on June 26, and Panama expects to triple its annual toll revenue of $1 billion.

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