The recently-opened Panama Canal expansion has tripled the maximum vessel-size able to pass through, and with this in mind, PTI with the help of Brevini, which provided the gearboxes that are driving the new lock gates, has put together a list of five interesting facts on the new gates:
- There are a total of 16 rolling gates operating the new canal; the sluice gates are 30 metres high, 60 metres long and 10 metres wide, each weighing over 4,000 tons
- The gates must be opened in less than 5 minutes, with a 43-minute cycle of opening/closing which is repeated 33 times per day
- With a lifespan requirement of 35 years, the gearboxes need to provide 57,000 hours of operation, working in humid conditions with high levels of salinity
- The two gearboxes driving each sluice gate weighs in excess of 9 tons
- The gearboxes operate a winch system with two ropes off each drum which, via a system of pulleys, allow the gate to be pulled in either direction
The Panama Canal recently suffered a set-back after a vessel crashed into a wall of the new Agura Clara Locks, however it has since rallied to see neo-Panamax ships sailing through and bringing a new vessel class to the US South Coast.
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Source: Port Technology International
