A LARGER than expected use of the third set of locks has The Panama Canal Authority (ACP)  studying the construction of a fourth set of locks by 2025, if demand for cargo transportation continues at the current rate.
With 10 days to go until one year of operations for the third set of locks, Canal Administrator Jorge Luis Quijano said there has been a larger­ than ­expected demand by large  ships. The new locks have been used by ships with a capacity of up to 14,000 containers.
At the end of a year of operations, June 26, the
expanded Canal has projected the movement of 391 million tons.
In addition to enabling passage of even larger vessels, the building of another set of locks would create thousands of new jobs over a five-year period.