With about 18 months to go before the planned opening of the new third set of locks, the Panama Canal is leaning on its old work horse, the Ellicott dredge “Mindi”, built in 1941.
The “Mindi” is currently working seven days a week near the famed Culebra Cut to widen a turning radius for the new bigger ships expected by 2017.
The CEO of the Panama Canal, Jorge Quijano, recently said to Peter Bowe, Ellicott president : “ Maybe we will retire her after the expansion is finished.”
This dredging project is an important component in the $5 billion expansion project.
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