PANAMA CANAL TESTS TWO-WAY TRANSITS IN NARROW CUT
The Panama Canal Authority said Thursday it has begun trials of simultaneous, two-way transits — Pacific and Atlantic-bound — of large commercial vessels through the Gaillard Cut, the most narrow passage in the Canal.
One-way traffic had been the rule through the Gaillard Cut until a recent widening program increased the cut’s width from 152 meters to 192 meters.
The trials will eventually lead to two Panamax-size vessels passing through the Cut in opposite directions at the same time, the canal authority said in a statement.