b'20American Journal ofTransportation ajot.comby 26.4%. Among the investments thattryingtoconservewater.TheCanal stand out are solutions for water avail- has deployed a number of water-sav-ability Andmanagingthewateringmeasuresincludingcross-filling levels for the Panama Canal is a trickylocks, water saving basins, simultane-balancing act. The Gatun and Alajuelaous lockages [when possible, two ships Lakesneedtoprovide52,000,000are allowed to transit through the same gallonsoffreshwaterforasinglechamber at the same time], the shut-ships transit while the Panama Canalting down of the hydroelectric plants Authoritys target is 36 transiting shipsandreducingthenumberoftransits per day. In addition, the lakes need toduring low-water periods. The Canal supply water for 2.5 million residentsemployed a reservation system during of Panama City and Coln who dependthe drought for all vessels while about on water from the Chagres River for70%ofthetransitswerebookedin theirdrinkingwaterandmunicipaladvance prior to the drought.wastewatertreatment.Finally,thereBut as Canal Administrator Morales ishydropowergeneratedbythetwoexplained in a September presentation lakes to support Canal operations. Asat the 2025 Investors Forum, organized Panama Canal Administrator Moralesby the Latin America Stock Exchange said in an August release, In Panama,(LATINEX), While there is no simple we have a high dependence on rainfall,answer or single project that can imme-(WATERcontinued from page 18) manoftheBoardofDirectorsandand it is necessary to increase storagediatelysolvethechallengeofwater, sparkedinterestindevelopinganMinister for Canal Affairs, wrote in thecapacity to ensure drinking water andweremainsteadfastinoursearchfor alternativetocrossingtheCentralintroduction to the authoritys annualtransitwater.Intheoperationoftheinnovativesolutions. Andoneofthe American isthmus. Mexico is pushingreport,it is important to highlightcanal, including the third set of locks,innovative solutions is building another ahead with their $2.8 billion Tehuan- that, due to water scarcity, the Panamawe use the volume of water that wasreservoir. In July, the ACP announced tepecsInteroceanicCorridor(CIIT)Canal has foreseen a decrease in transitforecastforthatpurpose,whereasthat it would build a new reservoir in project.ThisisntthefirstCentralvolume and total tonnage for FY-2024,theconsumptionofthepopulationthe Cocl province, west of the Panama American competition for the Panamawhile investments and capital reservesincreases permanently. Canal. The proposed Rio Indio reservoir Canal. Nicaragua long has wanted tofor future projects are expected to growThis is not to say that the ACP isnt(WATERcontinued on page 26)build an alternative canal to compete with the Panama Canal, but the proj-ect has never been feasible for numer- E B R A T I Nous reasons.E L GButMexicosCIITprojectisCtaking another approach to building a freight route to link the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. The initiative1 0-2020proposescrossingIsthmusofTehu- 92antepecinsouthernMexicotheOF SE ICEshortest distance between the PacificRVOcean and the Gulf of Mexicowith a188-milerailcorridorthatcouldSUCCESS STARTS WITH A WINNING TEAM!handle up to 1.4 million TEUs annu-ally by 2033. TheCIITprojectfacesconsider- Since our establishment in 1920, we haveWE OFFER OUR CUSTOMERS:ably fewer obstacles than the defunct NicaraguanCanal.Forstarters,thebeen providing our global customers aOn-site Storage and Multi-modalengineering is considerably easier thanpremier level of service through superiorDistribution Servicesbuilding a new canal across the Cen- handling and performance, technologicalCustomer Access to 24 hour Inventory TrackingtralAmericanisthmus.Theobviousadvancements, and a perpetual eyeadvantage of the rail system is unlikeon customer satisfaction. Also, we offer oneStandard Berths and Ro-Ro Ramps are availablethe Panama Canal, El Nino would haveof the most cost effective and reliable laborSpecially engineered Lifting Gearlittle impact on the volume of freightforces in the North Atlantic.Container Transloading from / to Rail or Trucktransits. And the rail corridor alreadyWe have the ability to accommodate aOn-site service provided by 2 Class Iexistsandisusedforamongothervariety of automobile, breakbulk, bulk,Rail Carriersfreights, shifting autos and auto partscontainer and forest products. OurEfficient Distribution to Two Thirds of the from the Pacific side to the Gulf. Butdistinction, is based on our ability to closelyUnited States and Canadian populations within the scale of the project pale in compari- coordinate your Stevedoring, Warehousing48 - 72 Hours son to the Panama Canal. The Panamaand Distribution Logistics. Canalisroughlyafifty-miletransit while the CIIT is 188 miles long. And quiteasidefromtheoverhaulofthe rail corridor the ports of Coatzacoalcos and Salina Cruz would need major ter-minal upgrades to handle the proposed traffic. And ultimately even with the most optimistic numbers that the CIIT could handle (1.4 million TEUs) is but a fraction of what the 8 million plusFOR MORE INFORMATION TEUs Panama Canal is currently han- CONTACT US AT:dlinga number which is likely to be substantially larger in 2033.WhileJH STEVEDORING, INC. 2147 South Columbus Blvd. the CIIT project doesnt look like a realPhiladelphia, PA 19148competitor to the Panama Canal it doesTEL: 215-218-3060hold promise as economic kick starterFAX: 215-218-3078for the region. As part of the project, 10WEB: www.jhstevedoring.comindustrial parks will be built in the area surrounding the railway to encouragePENN WAREHOUSING & DISTRIBUTION, INC. economicinvestmentandindustrial2147 South Columbus Blvd. development in the region. And whilePhiladelphia, PA 19148itmightprovidealternativerouteinTEL: 215-218-3000FAX: 215-218-3043the event of another El Nino type low- WEB: www.pennwarehousing.comwater disruption, the proposed volumes arelikelytobeabsorbedlargelyby increase in regional economic activity rather than as conduit for freight from Asia to the East Coast of America.b alaNciNgW aterm aNagemeNtAristidesRoyoSanchez,Chair-'