Posts
THE Panama Canal Authority (ACP) says it has officially received a total of six bids for the third out of four dry excavation contracts to be awarded under its Canal Expansion Programme.
The next step now is to review the submissions with a view to determining a winner of the contract before the end of this month, in order to move ahead with the next phase of expansion works, which "remains on track," according to a statement issued by the ACP.
The scope of work for this latest dry excavation contract is said to encompass the excavation, removal and disposal of 8 million cubic metres of material, which will further reduce Paraiso (Paradise) Hill from 46 metres to 27.5 metres above sea level.
It also calls for the construction of approximately 2.5 kilometres of access and the clearing of 190 hectares of land bearing munitions and explosives of consideration (MEC), remnants from former US military training in Panama.
When all four of the dry excavation contracts are completed, the works would have created a "critical" access channel linking the new Pacific locks with the Canal's existing Gaillard Cut, which is the narrowest stretch of the Panama Canal.
Similar to the first and second dry excavation projects, the third contract will be awarded to the firm with the lowest-priced bid that meets all of the requirements stated in the request for proposals.
"With the prices offered today by the bidders for this contract, the Canal's expansion programme remains on-track and on-budget," said executive vice president of Engineering and Programme Management Jorge Quijano.
"The third dry excavation contract is an essential intermediate step in the creation of the Pacific access channel, and we are pleased with the interest shown by the competing companies. We look forward to reviewing the documentation of the winning bid and welcoming another partner to the Canal Expansion Programme."
Ultimately, the expansion project will build a new lane of traffic along the Panama Canal through the construction of a new set of locks to double capacity and allow access to more traffic and longer, wider ships.
The next step now is to review the submissions with a view to determining a winner of the contract before the end of this month, in order to move ahead with the next phase of expansion works, which "remains on track," according to a statement issued by the ACP.
The scope of work for this latest dry excavation contract is said to encompass the excavation, removal and disposal of 8 million cubic metres of material, which will further reduce Paraiso (Paradise) Hill from 46 metres to 27.5 metres above sea level.
It also calls for the construction of approximately 2.5 kilometres of access and the clearing of 190 hectares of land bearing munitions and explosives of consideration (MEC), remnants from former US military training in Panama.
When all four of the dry excavation contracts are completed, the works would have created a "critical" access channel linking the new Pacific locks with the Canal's existing Gaillard Cut, which is the narrowest stretch of the Panama Canal.
Similar to the first and second dry excavation projects, the third contract will be awarded to the firm with the lowest-priced bid that meets all of the requirements stated in the request for proposals.
"With the prices offered today by the bidders for this contract, the Canal's expansion programme remains on-track and on-budget," said executive vice president of Engineering and Programme Management Jorge Quijano.
"The third dry excavation contract is an essential intermediate step in the creation of the Pacific access channel, and we are pleased with the interest shown by the competing companies. We look forward to reviewing the documentation of the winning bid and welcoming another partner to the Canal Expansion Programme."
Ultimately, the expansion project will build a new lane of traffic along the Panama Canal through the construction of a new set of locks to double capacity and allow access to more traffic and longer, wider ships.
No comments:
Post a Comment