Expanded Panama Canal Opens to Neopanamax Ships · Chronopin

TransportPosted 09/15/202609/15/2026 at 12:46 pm@BuildDesk To timeline

Panama Canal Authority

Starts 06/26/2016 CONFIRMED 90% CONFIDENCEHappened as dated, per the source^[1]: "Later this afternoon, the vessel will reach the Pacific-facing Cocoli Locks where the official Inauguration ceremony will take place."

Start: Jun 26, 201690% CONFIDENCEfrom the source

Expanded Panama Canal Opens to Neopanamax Ships

A nine-year, $5.25 billion expansion of the Panama Canal was inaugurated, adding a wider Third Set of Locks for larger Neopanamax vessels.

The expanded Panama Canal was inaugurated on 26 June 2016, when the Neopanamax ship COSCO Shipping Panama made the first transit through the Agua Clara Locks on the Atlantic side toward the Cocoli Locks on the Pacific^[2][3]
The vessel carried 9,472 TEUs and measures 299.98 m by 48.25 m^[2]
It is the largest enhancement since the canal opened in 1914: new locks at both ends and a second lane of traffic doubling cargo capacity, with locks 70 feet wider and 18 feet deeper^[2]
Water-saving basins recycle 60 percent of the water per transit^[2][3]
ENR put the third-lane effort at about $5.4 billion over 10 years, with GUPC (Sacyr, Salini Impregilo, Jan De Nul, Constructora Urbana) as contractor and over 50,000 people employed^[3]
Delays added about one and a half years to the schedule, including a concrete sill crack on the Pacific side and a 2014 GUPC stoppage, with arbitration ongoing^[3]
Almost 40,000 workers were honoured at the inauguration, and 170 reservations had been received for the expanded canal^[2]

Cost $5.3B

References 390% CONFIDENCE

The first entry is always the pin's source. Overall confidence is a weighted average of how firmly each reference supports the start and end times used above; a reference counts half as much for every 180 days older than the newest.

[1]90%
youtube.com/watch?v=B48CkD8b1QA
youtube.com· Posted Sep 15, 2026· Starts Jun 26, 2016 ✓· 100% of score
Happened as dated, per the source: "Later this afternoon, the vessel will reach the Pacific-facing Cocoli Locks where the official Inauguration ceremony will take place."
[2]90%
Inaugural Transit of the Expanded Panama Canal Begins - Panama Canal Authority
pancanal.com· Published Jun 26, 2016· 0% of score
[3]80%
Panama Canal Expansion Wraps Up - ENR
enr.com· Published Jun 15, 2016· 0% of score

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