Allianz questions Panama Canal’s use of tugs

Insurance company Allianz has become the latest organisation to question whether the Panama Canal’s plan to replace “mules” with tugs is safe.

Andrew Kinsey, a senior marine risk consultant at Allianz, said in a report that just using tugs in the lock chamber means there is the potential for increased contact with the lock walls.

“It is believed that the use of tugs, rather than mules, provides sufficient control over ships in the lock chamber,” he continued, “but it is a situation that will be monitored closely.”