Panama $7bn canal expansion to lure super-ships

PANAMA is planning a $US5.25 billion ($A7 billion) expansion of its canal to handle a new generation of mammoth cargo ships and oil tankers. Built at a cost of 25,000 lives and opened in 1914, the Panama Canal was considered a masterpiece of engineering. While much of it is made up of roomy lakes, modern bulk ships are too wide and too long to fit in its narrow lock systems, meaning Panama needs to expand the canal or risk losing business.