Panama Canal breaks transit record

Panama Canal breaks transit record    The Panama Canal Authority reported that it broke its record for the number and aggregate tonnage of Panamax-sized vessels transiting the canal in a single day on July 3, by handling 24 vessels, totaling 934,000 canal tons.
   The previous records were for    21 vessels and 930,000 tons, set in December 2002.
   Panamax vessels are built to the maximum beam (over 100 feet) to navigate the canal, so that piloting them rapidly and safely through the canal and its many lock chambers is a demanding task, the authority pointed out.
   “These records are a credit to our exceptional personnel — our traffic schedulers, pilots, line handlers, locomotive operators, tugboat and launch crews and many others,” said Canal administrator Alberto Alem'n Zubieta.
   The authority said that recent improvements at the canal includes: the widening of the Gaillard Cut; the acquisition of new locomotives and the rehabilitation of the locomotive tracks; the implementation of a new navigation system; the addition of new tugboats; and the deepening of Gatun Lake.