TO: All Steamship
Agents, Owners, and Operators
SUBJECT: MAJOR LOCKS
OUTAGES – TENTATIVE SCHEDULE FY-2007
Locks maintenance and
improvement work is essential for the long-term viability of the Panama
Canal. Work requiring locks lane outages and/or lockages with restrictions,
such as the ongoing tow track replacement at all locks, affects the daily
Canal transit capacity, which is of concern to our customers and Canal
officials.
For the benefit of
Canal customers with their planning efforts, an advanced tentative work
schedule for November and December 2006, which covers the first quarter of
Fiscal Year 2007, is hereby provided:
November 8 - 16 (8
days): The center wall culvert of Gatun Locks will be out of service,
which will require more time for filling and emptying the lock chambers.
Concurrently, the tow track over Miter Gates 115 & 119 at Miraflores Locks
will be replaced from November 7 - 17 (10 days), which may result in longer
than average lockage times on the WEST lane.
December 13 - 15
(60 hours): The EAST lane at Gatun Locks will be out of service to
perform work on Miter Gate 5.
December 20 - 22
(60 hours): The EAST lane at Gatun Locks will be out of service to
perform work on Miter Gate 6.
As customary,
confirmation of outage dates will be published as they become firm.
All efforts will be
made to minimize the impact on transits that could result from the required
scheduled maintenance and improvement work mentioned above.
The locks outage and
maintenance schedule for the entire Fiscal Year 2007 will be published in
the near future.
ORIGINAL SIGNED
Arcelio H. Hartley
Acting Maritime
Operations Director
