The Panama Canal is Leaking!

Trials & Tribulations of the Panama Canal Expansion Project

As you may already know, the Panama Canal has been undergoing a significant expansion over the last several years, a massive undertaking that has seen its share of disruptions and delays.  So while the delays have been frustrating to a good many people for many different reasons, it’s not really surprising. Hey, learning how to roll with the punches and move forward is not such a horrible thing.  As with any major construction project, especially one of size and magnitude of the Panama Canal Expansion Project, it is expected that there will be some hiccups…or in this case a few leaks.  It makes us all stronger right?

Well, the expansion project got a sucker punch a few weeks back when leaks cropped up on one of the new Cocoli Locks, on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal. No Bueno!  You can see some alarming video footage and a few comical quips about the leaking Panama Canal here.  (Hmm….I think just stumbled upon the next all-star apocalyptic disaster summer block-buster idea.  Spielberg you reading this?)

There have been cost overruns, labor disputes, and setbacks of all sorts, but these newly discovered leaks in the Panama Canal have put the powers that be in a really tough position.  The frustration level is rising and additional safety concerns are coming up for good reason!  Originally projected to open on the Panama Canal Centennial Celebration in 2014, the project is many months behind schedule as it is. The Panama Canal Authority made a statement indicating that they cannot possibly sign off on this phase of the work until the leaks are all shored up.  Ok, thanks for clearing that one up for us Canal Authority (rolling eyes here).  This is all why we do testing first I suppose, but if the wall that is supposed to last another 100 years and should be earthquake resistant cannot make it through the 90 day test period….well back to the drawing board folks!  This of course puts the canal expansion project even further behind schedule while workers scramble to make the locks structurally sound, and puts a question mark in some people’s minds as to the efficacy of the project as a whole.

Though the leaks are disappointing and embarrassing for the project managers and administrators, let’s look at the bigger picture.  It is important to point out that the Panama Canal, which took 2 attempts by 2 different countries by be built and cost the world tens of thousands of lives, has been making history since its inception.  Nowhere in the world does there exist an engineering marvel of this magnitude. No other thing on the face of this earth makes free trade possible like the Panama Canal does.

Without the Panama Canal, it is a fact that the world we live in would be a completely different place. Now that we have so much more technology and much better working conditions, we seem to think that the expansion project should just be a snap.  But really, the expansion project which will double the capacity of the Panama Canal is the engineering marvel of our time.   Being able to put a history-making and world-changing expansion project on one’s resume is a pretty big deal!  So maybe we should be a bit more patient and pray it gets done right rather than rushing things along to make deadlines.  

The Canal Expansion Project will be done when it’s done, and not a moment too soon. Meanwhile the engineers and workers move through this uncharted territory one step at a time, together, learning as they go. Maybe sometimes it’s one step forward and two steps back, but it doesn’t have to be looked at as a failure… it could be looked at as a Cha-Cha, right?!