The Panama Canal expansion will allow larger container vessels to travel to U.S. ports. These ports must be ready to receive them. To prepare, many ports across the national have updates underway.

1. U.S. PORTS UPDATE FOR
PANAMA CANAL EXPANSION
The Panama Canal expansion will have
major impacts on U.S. ports and domestic
organizations around the country. The
expansion of the Panama Canal will allow for the
passage of larger container vessels, potentially
reducing the cost of overseas shipping, particularly
for those trade routes providing coast-to-coast
services between Eastern countries and U.S. East Coast
ports. Ports need to be able to have the capacity for the
Post-Panamax Container Ships which carry 8,000 to 10,000
Twenty-foot equivalents (TEU’s).
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References:
US Army Corps of Engineers, New York District
http://www.nan.usace.army.mil/Media/FactSheets/FactSheetArticleView/
tabid/11241/Article/487407/fact-sheet-new-york-and-new-jer-
sey-harbor-50-ft-deepening.aspx
Miami-Dade County
http://www.miamidade.gov/portmiami/deep-dredge.asp
Alabama State Port Authority
http://www.asdd.com/
http://www.polb.com/
http://www.portseattle.org/
PORT OF NY AND NJ
The largest port on the East
Coast is undergoing a 50-foot
deepening of the various
channels to accommodate the
larger post-Panamax ships.
WHAT ARE SOME U.S.
PORTS DOING TO PREPARE?
PORT OF JACKSONVILLE
State and local funding will pay
for an estimated $38 million proj-
ect to improve navigation chal-
lenges on the St. Johns River
through Phase II of the TraPac
Container Terminal Project. A
project deepening the port to 48
feet is already in progress.
PORT MIAMI
The Port of Miami has poured
over $1 billion into capital infra-
structure improvements antici-
pating post-Panamax container
ships. Improvements include
super cranes, an on-dock inter-
modal system, and deepening
of the port.
PORT OF MOBILE
The only deep water port in the
state of Alabama, the Port of
Mobile is making approximate-
ly $90 million in terminal and
intermodal updates.
PORT OF LONG BEACH
The second-busiest port in the
United States, the Port of Long
Beach is in the process of $4.5
billion in capital improvements
to accommodate the larger
post-Panamax vessels. Height-
ening bridges and improving
port technology are among the
updates.
THE NORTHWEST
SEAPORT ALLIANCE
The strategic plan includes up-
dates to cranes and deepening of
berths to accommodate the larger
post-Panamax ships. A full mod-
ernization of Terminal 4 is planned
and will use $15.8 million in TIGER
grant funding to pay for a portion
of the project.