THE PANAMA CANAL The millionth transit T
he Hong Kong-flagged 57,000dwt bulk carrier Fortune Plum (pictured), owned by Korea-based Cido Shipping and chartered to STX Panocean, began the historic millionth transit of the Panama Canal by entering the Miraflores locks, at 4:35 am, on September 4, 2010. The Panamax-size vessel, built in China’s Taizhou Sanfu Ship Engineering shipyard, was carrying 40,000 tonnes of Chinese steel products bound for unloading at Cristobal terminal, on the Atlantic side.
Jian Ji, Captain of the millionth vessel to pass through the Panama Canal was presented with a
including the parties of Philadelphia, New Orleans; the Georgia Ports Authority that owns and operates the port of Savannah, Tampa; the South Carolina Ports Authority which owns and operates the port of Charleston; and for the first time with North Carolina State Ports Authority. The ACP also signed an historic agreement with the Port of Long Beach. ‘The ACP looks forward to entering into this partnership with the Port of Long Beach,’ says Aleman. ‘This MoU is the first of its kind between the ACP and a US West Coast port and will allow both entities to strengthen trade flows throughout the region. We, at the ACP, continuously seek new and innovative ways to serve the ever-changing needs of global trade. This agreement will allow the Panama Canal to further enforce its role as a regional logistics leader.’ Another milestone was an MoU with European port, Antwerp Port Authority, the first of its kind, which will increase cooperation through joint marketing and coordination on modernisation and expansion projects, and help boost trade between the Antwerp and the West Coast of South America via the Panama Canal.
Early in 2011, ACP was recognised by the Ethisphere Institute as one of the 2011 World’s Most Ethical Companies. According to the institute, the ACP secured a spot on the list from a record number of nominations by ‘going the extra mile and implementing upright business practices and initiatives that are instrumental to the company’s success, benefit the community, and raise the bar for ethical standards within the industry.’ The 2011 list of World’s Most Ethical Companies features companies in 38 industries, ranging from retail, energy and utilities, and transportation and logistics. Ethisphere reviewed thousands of companies through in-depth research and multi-step analysis, and identified 110 companies that surpassed their industry peers as this year’s World’s Most Ethical Companies. ‘At the Canal, we have a set of guiding principles. At the very core of these principles is our commitment to transparency, honesty, responsibility to the Panamanian people, our customers and the environment,’ says ACP’s Aleman. ‘These principles reinforce our willingness and passion to serve our customers and provide a safe, reliable and efficient
commemorative plaque on October 13, 2010 as he was returning from the US on his way back to China and Korea. The first ship that officially passed through the waterway linking two oceans was the steamer SS Ancon on
August 15, 1914. Ancon and her sister ship Cristobal played a crucial role during the construction of the canal, bringing workers and supplies from New York to Panama.
On August 15, 1914 Ancon made the first official transit of the canal as part the opening ceremonies which were overshadowed by the start of WW I. Her sister ship Cristobal had made the first unofficial transit on August 3, 1914, delivering a load of cement, while an old French crane boat Alexandre La Valley had crossed the canal from the Atlantic in stages during construction, finally reaching the Pacific on January 7.
service to the shipping and maritime industry,’ he adds.
Aleman announced that the ACP will host its first-ever best practices Engineering and Infrastructure Congress April 18-20, 2012, in Panama City, to share detailed, practical, hands-on experiences relating to managing a significant infrastructure project. The congress will bring together world- renowned experts in the fields of geotechnical, electrical, structural and civil engineering; and showcase infrastructure projects from around the world, updating attendees on the progress of the Canal expansion programme. The modernisation programme and dredging activity is being performed simultaneously with the expansion, and should be completed during 2012. Meanwhile, widening work continues at Gaillard Cut, the narrowest part of the waterway, which is mostly carried out by the ACP as it is most experienced to safely work around transiting vessels. In addition to the dredging work in Gatun Lake, ACP owned Dredging Division will carry out the remaining works of the modernisation programme, which is in its
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112