Panama Canal testing new locks with real ships in 12 months

Press reports reveal that the Panama Canal will start testing its new locks with actual ships within a year.

The 100-year-old canal has been going through a major expansion plan, which has seen the building of a third set of locks in its 80-kilometre waterway.

This was originally intended to be completed this year, but several major delays have put off the proposed opening day till January 2016.

The new lock system will allow the transit of vessels up to 13 000-TEU capacity – almost treble the 4 500-TEU size of the ships currently using the canal.