Panama Canal solicits Atlantic dredge bids

Panama Canal solicits Atlantic dredge bids Keeping to its ambitious schedule to expand the Panama Canal by 2014, the agency that oversees the critical commercial waterway said Monday it has issued requests for proposals to dredge the canal's Atlantic Ocean approach.
   Dredging companies will be required to remove about 15 million underwater cubic meters and 800,000 cubic meters of dry excavation. The contract also includes deepening the canal’s Atlantic entrance to 15.5 meters to allow the transit of post-Panamax vessels through the new set of locks that will be constructed. The project is projected to be completed in the second quarter of 2013.
   Bids are due by July 15. The key selection criterion is low cost, the Panama Canal Authority said.
   Widening of the Pacific Ocean entrance began last year. ' Eric Kulisch