Panama Canal Refutes Accident Claims
By MarEx 2016-08-02 18:37:52
The Panama Canal Authority has refuted reports that there have been three collisions in the newly expanded Panama Canal.
The 8,500-TEU container ship Xin Fei Zhou hit a wall while transiting the locks at Agua Clara on the Atlantic side of the canal last month.
The Authority cited bad weather as the cause, but denies reports of two other accidents where vessels hit fenders. Contacting fenders during approaches to the locks or inside the chambers of the locks is normal, says the Authority, claiming that the way incidents involving the Lycaste Peace and COSCO Shipping Panama were reported was incorrect.
“In both of these cases, neither is considered an incident or accident. In fact, contacting fenders during approaches to the locks or inside the chambers of the locks is normal, expected, and it is the reason for installing fenders on areas where contact is expected.”
A study published earlier this year by the International Transport Workers’ Federation released claimed that the dimensions of the new locks are too small to be safe in some circumstances. The Panama Canal Authority, however, dismissed the report.
The Expanded Panama Canal has transited 69 Neopanamax vessels since the Inauguration on June 26, 2016. Specifically, 40 container ships, 24 LPG carriers, three vehicle carriers and two LNG carriers have transited the Expanded Canal. In addition, the Panama Canal has received 250 reservations and counting for the Expanded Canal, including seven cruise ship reservations.
Since the Expanded Canal opened for business, major liners have rerouted service to the Panama Canal to take advantage of the significant time savings the waterway provides. For example, the 2M Alliance, which includes shipping liners Maersk and Mediterranean Shipping Co., announced in July that they are rerouting Asia to U.S. East Coast service to the Panama Canal.
“We are very pleased with the first month of operations at the Expanded Canal since the Inauguration,” said Panama Canal Administrator and CEO Jorge L. Quijano. “The increasing demand is further evidence of the maritime industry’s continued trust in the Expanded Canal, and the great impact it will have on the future of world maritime trade.”
Milestone transits for the Expanded Panama Canal include:
June 26 – Inaugural transit and container ship: COSCO Shipping Panama
June 27 – First LPG carrier: NYK Lycaste Peace
July 6 – First vehicle carrier (RoRo vessel): NYK Iris Leader
July 25 – First LNG carrier: Maran Gas Apollonia
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COSCO First Transit of Panama Canal, Now First Accident
Xin Fei Zhou damage, courtesy Facebook. By MarEx 2016-07-23 21:00:53
China Cosco Shipping (COSCO) was the first company to have a vessel transit the expanded Panama Canal, and now it is the first company to have a vessel allide with the canal.
The 8,500 teu container ship Xin Fei Zhou hit with a wall while transiting the locks at Agua Clara on the Atlantic side of the canal on Thursday afternoon.
The ship’s hull was damaged, but traffic was not affected, and the wall suffered only minor damage.
On June 26, the inaugural transit of the Panama Canal Expansion began with the transit of Neopanamax vessel COSCO Shipping Panama safely passing through the Agua Clara locks.
A study published earlier this year by the International Transport Workers’ Federation released claimed that the dimensions of the new locks are too small to be safe in some circumstances. The Panama Canal Authority, however, dismissed the report. More information on the debate is available here.
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The Panama Canal Dismisses ITF Claims
By MarEx 2016-04-28 18:09:39
The Panama Canal has dismisses claims by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) that questions industry standards and the operation of the Expanded Panama Canal’s new locks.
“ITF’s claims in a recently released document are not based on mathematical models and do not include data from physical navigation tests as that been done in preparation for operations in the Expanded Canal,” said the Panama Canal in a statement. “It therefore lacks scientific accuracy and credibility. In addition, the authors have not transited through the Panama Canal and are not trained to do so.”
ITF Members Concerned
The ITF commissioned the study, which was carried out by Brazil’s Fundação Homem de Mar (FHM), in response to safety concerns raised by its Panamanian member unions. FHM was tasked with preparing a mathematical model, using a Maneuvering Simulator Class A, to recreate the new locks, a neo-Panamax vessel and the tugboats that would assist its maneuvers.
Using a neo-Panamax model vessel and two tugboats, the study authors concluded that the safety of maneuverability is compromised due to several factors:
• The locks’ dimensions are too small for safe operation (with both gates closed)
• There are no refuge areas for the tugboats inside the locks, leaving no room for failure (human error, miscommunication, broken lines or engine failure)
• The bollard pull is insufficient
In terms of maneuverability in the locks, the control of the vessel was compromised under the average environmental conditions present in that geographic area (data provided by the contracting party). The main reasons were the low power of the tugboats and the required bollard pull. With milder conditions the exercise was concluded safely. The study recommends that a complete risk analysis and special training should be carried out to avoid any accidents that may result in loss of life or pollution.
10 Years of Preparation
The Panama Canal spent nearly 10 years to methodically and professionally evaluate and analyze the design of the Expanded Panama Canal’s locks. This process included conducting internal and external studies to determine how the new locks should operate. After this in-depth process, the Panama Canal made the informed decision to embrace the industry standard of using up to four tugs to navigate ships. Outside industry experts concluded that the ACP’s decision was correct.
“We commend all who have been involved in this project over the past 10 years,” said Captain Peter Pusztai, Panama Canal Pilot Training Coordinator. “The ITF’s claims are unproven and contain many errors. Despite their false claims, we look forward to transforming the maritime industry through the opening of the Expanded Panama Canal.”
The Panama Canal reiterated that it is proud of its investment in and preparation for the opening of the Expanded Canal on June 26 and its painstaking attention to detail to ensure the safe, reliable and efficient transits. In 2015 alone, the Panama Canal invested more than $3 million to upgrade its Center for Simulation, Research and Maritime Development (SIDMAR) with additional rigorous mathematical models to further train pilots and tugboat captains to operate within the expanded locks.
Additionally, the Panama Canal has invested more than $8 million in the Scale Model Maneuvering Training Facility, which complements simulation training received at SIDMAR and is devoted to ship handling and hands-on training to scale. This innovative 35.3-acre training facility features docking bays, replicas of the new and existing locks, gates, and chambers, all at a 1:25 scale to provide pilots and tugboat captains with the in-depth, hands-on-training needed to safely and efficiently transit Neopanamax vessels through the Expanded Panama Canal.
The study is available here.