Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/710433
by Jeff Crissey Noteworthy News www.jobsfor teams.com JOBS for TEAMS | 34 Panama's Big Bet W hen the Cosco Shipping Panama vessel made its way through the Agua Clara locks on the morning of June 19 on the inau- gural transit of a Neopanamax vessel through the newly expanded Panama Canal, it may have ushered in a new era of international mari- time trade. That's the $5.25 bil- lion bet the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) made in 2007 when construction began. Overcoming highly pub- licized financial disputes, work stoppages and con- struction setbacks along the way, it still managed to finish the project just one year after its original target date. Until now, the lock dimensions haven't changed since the Pan- ama Canal first opened in 1914. The new locks, Cocoli (Pacific) and Aerial view of new Agua Clara Locks on the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal. The new three-step lock system runs parallel to the exist- ing Gatun Locks built in 1914.