• PROJECT REPRESENTS LAST MAJOR EXPANSION CONTRACT TO BE AWARDED

    PANAMA CITY, Panama, August 6, 2010 –The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) received three bids today from international firms vying to dredge and excavate the Pacific Access Channel (PAC) entrance. This project represents the last major Expansion Program contract to be awarded and once completed, will allow larger ships to successfully enter the new access channel and reach the new Pacific Locks. Of note, the access channel will link the new Pacific locks with the Gaillard Cut (the narrowest stretch of the Panama Canal).

    The ACP will award the contract to the firm with the lowest-priced bid that meets all of the terms and conditions in the request for proposals. The contractor then has a 90-day procurement and mobilization period before receiving the notice to proceed.

    Below are the companies that submitted bids and the corresponding bid prices.

    Nombre de empresa Monto
    Jan De Nul B/. 54,550,647.00
    International Underground Corporation B/. 55,329,492.00
    BKI-MECO B/. 71,344,784.00

    (Note: All prices in U.S. dollars.)

    “Today’s bid opening is an important step for this project. We look forward to awarding the contract very soon,” said ACP Executive Vice President of Engineering and Program Management Jorge L. Quijano. “we are very pleased to have reached this phase, where we will award the last major contract under the Canal’s Expansion Program. Each day, we continually gain momentum and maintain our focus to deliver the expansion works in the fourth quarter of 2014.”

    The scope of work for the contract will include an estimated 4 million cubic meters of dredging and excavation at the PAC entrance.

    Moreover, the ACP will ensure all of the work meets specific environmental requirements.

    Expansion will build a new lane of traffic along the Panama Canal through the construction of a new set of locks, which will double capacity and allow more traffic and longer, wider ships.

    About the Panama Canal Authority (ACP)
    The ACP is the autonomous agency of the Government of Panama in charge of managing, operating and maintaining the Panama Canal. The operation of the ACP is based on its organic law and the regulations approved by its Board of Directors. For more information, please refer to the ACP’s Web site: www.pancanal.com. You can also follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/thepanamacanal.