Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

2 gas tankers traveled across the Pacific but U-turned just short of the Panama Canal because low water levels have created a traffic jam
Business Insider ^ | Nov 7, 2023 | Aruni Soni

Posted on 11/08/2023 3:44:40 AM PST by where's_the_Outrage?

Two gas tankers crossed the Pacific, then U-turned within 10 miles of the Panama Canal, Bloomberg reported.

An intense drought has lowered the canal's water level, limiting the number of ships that can pass through.

That has created a massive backlog of ships waiting to cross, forcing some to seek alternate routes.

Two gas tankers crossed the Pacific Ocean, but recently took a U-turn just short of the Panama Canal because of the huge traffic jam caused by low water levels, Bloomberg reported.

The tankers, Pyxis Pioneer and the Sunny Bright, were within 10 miles of the canal before they changed course, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.

Their destinations were unclear, but the vessels, which can transport roughly 158,000 cubic meters of liquefied petroleum gas, were empty after delivering their cargoes in Asia.

One tanker that U-turned was signaling a course towards Houston, the report said, suggesting it will bypass the traffic jam at the Panama Canal with a massive detour all the way around South America to get to the US Gulf Coast.

(Excerpt) Read more at markets.businessinsider.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Mexico; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: lng; mexico; nicaragua; panama; panamacanal
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-36 last
To: bobbo666

Hey, the ships can make passage through the melted Arctic can’t they? There is no ice in the Arctic because of climate change.


21 posted on 11/08/2023 6:03:11 AM PST by Colt1851Navy (What was wrong with Nixon?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: where's_the_Outrage?

Panama Canal uses fresh water; but, there’s not enough for the current volume of traffic. I wonder if they’ve considered pumping in salt water.


22 posted on 11/08/2023 6:15:29 AM PST by Redmen4ever
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Jim Noble

Not only is there “lots” of water in the oceans, as the water spills out of the canal (whether into the Pacific or the Gulf), it replenishes the supply. The canal flows down from its apex at Gatun Lake in both directions. There is, however, the problem of pumping the water to the apex of the canal. Possibly also the problem of mixing fresh water and salt water in the various lakes that are part of the canal.


23 posted on 11/08/2023 6:20:02 AM PST by Redmen4ever
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Redmen4ever

Someone should tell them that salt water works pretty good for floating stuff.


24 posted on 11/08/2023 6:21:14 AM PST by going hot (Happiness is a Momma Deuce)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: bobbo666

I have a second thought: Capture the fresh water before it’s released into the ocean, and pump it (the fresh water) back up to Lake Gatun.


25 posted on 11/08/2023 6:22:43 AM PST by Redmen4ever
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: Redmen4ever

The locks were designed not to use pumps, they use gravity and water from higher locks.

They new lock on the Pacific side has a capture area for fresh water, but cannot save it all.

I revisited the canal in Dec 2019, wow has traffic increased. My hotel was right on the canal with an overlooking balcony.


26 posted on 11/08/2023 6:30:09 AM PST by where's_the_Outrage? (Drain the Swamp. Build the Wall.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: Redmen4ever

As many have commented here about pumps and pumping. There are no pumps used to raise ships in the locks. This is pointed out in every detailed description of the engineering design.

Gatun Lake is higher than both ocean levels. Water raised in the lower locks is or has been up until now— drained out into the oceans. Pumping these quantities of water would be quite expensive in energy to pump.


27 posted on 11/08/2023 6:30:31 AM PST by John S Mosby (Sic Semper Tyrannis )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: where's_the_Outrage?

I believe the sea level canal was to be through Nicaragua but a postage stamp with an erupting Nicaraguan volcano put the qui-eetus on that.


28 posted on 11/08/2023 6:40:35 AM PST by Ruy Dias de Bivar
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: John S Mosby

The canal was expanded in 2016 by adding another lane to increase traffic. The lake and freshwater supply was not increased. There is no crisis other than poor engineering.

EC


29 posted on 11/08/2023 6:45:31 AM PST by Ex-Con777
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: where's_the_Outrage?

Not only that the melting ice caps should have provided plenty of sea water.


30 posted on 11/08/2023 6:55:27 AM PST by pas
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: RoosterRedux

The good news...there’ll come a time when we won’t even need the locks. Just float right over them east-to-west or west-to-east.


31 posted on 11/08/2023 7:03:31 AM PST by moovova ("The NEXT election is the most important election of our lifetimes!“ LOL...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Redmen4ever

They have capture ponds on the new, larger channel but not on the two original ones. There’s a shipping industry channel on YouTube with videos on this Panama Canal drought. It’s a big deal that is affecting global trade.


32 posted on 11/08/2023 7:03:54 AM PST by Pelham (President Eisenhower. Operation Wetback 1953-54)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: where's_the_Outrage?

Albrook AFB from 1957-1961
Camp Chagres Boy Scout 60-61 (that was AWESOME)


33 posted on 11/08/2023 7:10:00 AM PST by Loud Mime ("The Real Constitution..and its real enemies" on Amazon. Check out the details, they are important.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: John S Mosby

Water CAN BE pumped.

Why would you pump water if there’s plenty of it at the height of Lake Gatun. Hence, no pumps were built back in the day because there was plenty of water.

But, the demand for transit has increased tremendously. Ships loiter waiting transit. These wait times are costly.

To be sure, pumping water - if pumping water is feasible - will probably impact fees for transit. Such are the realities of the world.

Now, let’s ask the question: why are there any deserts in the world? Because the cost of pumping water, and desalinization where necessary, isn’t free.


34 posted on 11/08/2023 7:43:24 AM PST by Redmen4ever
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: Ex-Con777

Did not know that— the capacity of the locks highly dependent on Gatun Lake as the reservoir of elevated water pressure. Whose engineering said that adding another lane would NOT affect that— that is to say in a catastrophic way perhaps being only partly due to reduced tropical rainfall in the current weather patterns.

Truly- a monumental failure of calculation to account for the loss of volume... alone.

Thank you— this was really stupid of whomever did it.


35 posted on 11/08/2023 8:54:08 AM PST by John S Mosby (Sic Semper Tyrannis )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: Redmen4ever

You are correct, 100 years plus later and the capacity cannot meet the expanded design to meet the increase need— all true.

Your post reminded of the water that is in aquifers under the desert in africa, and in Saudi Arabia- being tapped iirc.


36 posted on 11/08/2023 8:56:51 AM PST by John S Mosby (Sic Semper Tyrannis )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-36 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson