Ahead of the offical opening of the new third set of locks, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has announced it will charter a Post-Panamax vessel to be used for training purposes in the locks.
The Executive Vice President of Operations Esteban Saenz reported that the Panama Canal will charter a Post-Panamax ship to train pilots and tugboat captains that will assist in transits through the new lane. Saenz went on to add that the vessel will be used several months before the opening of the expanded Canal to test the new locks.
“This is one of the best ways to train our pilots and tug captains in the joint effort required to transit through the two new lock complexes of the expanded Canal,” said Saenz. He added that since 2011 the Panama Canal has promoted workforce training for the operation of the expanded waterway.
Since 2012, a total of 186 of the approximately 280 Canal pilots have been trained at the Panama Canal’s Centre for Simulation, Research and Maritime Development (SIDMAR) using Post-Panamax model ships. “SIDMAR’s mathematical modelling and simulations have been updated and parts of the expanded Panama Canal such as the locks, navigational channels and Culebra Cut have been added to train our pilots and captains in such manoeuvres,” added Saenz.