Safety study raises concerns over Panama locks

A new independent safety study  raising concerns over Panama Canal’s new locks has been dismissed by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP).

The report, which was commissioned by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), claimed that the new locks are too small for safe operation (with both gates closed), adding that their dimensions, the lack of refuge areas for the tugboats inside them, and an insufficient bollard pull compromise the safety of manoeuvrability.

The study, which was carried out by the Brazilian firm Fundação Homem de Mar (FHM) after safety concerns were raised by ITF’s Panamanian member unions last year, relied on a simulator to recreate the locks, a neo-Panamax vessel and the tugboats which would assist its manoeuvres.