Currently at 93.1% completion, the Panama Canal Expansion Program continues to rapidly progress.
This month, the filling of the fourth phase of the Pacific Access Channel (PAC-4) began, bringing Culebra Cut one step closer to connecting with the new Pacific-facing locks.
The new channel is 6.1 kilometers long and 218 meters wide, and it is located 9 meters above the level of Miraflores Lake. This will be the channel Neo Panamax vessels take to bypass Miraflores Lake at the completion of the expansion.
The filling process is expected to take approximately 20 days to complete, as water levels rise between 0.5 and 1.0 meter per day. Once the area is filled, the condition of the dam will be tested and verified before removing the plug that separates the new access channel from the current.
According to Panama Canal Administrator. Jorge L Ouijano, the new Pacific Access Channel is nearly ready to accommodate the larger Neo Panamax vessels that will transit through the waterway.