UKHO to Present New Digital Charts for Panama Canal

ACP The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) is to release five new electronic navigational charts (ENCs) in ADMIRALTY Vector Chart Service for the Expanded Panama Canal.  The new digital charts are produced by Panama Canal Authority (ACP) and provide end-to-end coverage of the Panama Canal at a scale of 1:10 000. The ENCs contain survey data and up-to-date information for the Expanded Canal, which will receive its first official transit on 26 June. The Panama Canal serves a vital purpose for international shipping and world trade. Its expansion will not only double the Canal’s capacity, it will also allow Post-Panamax vessels to use the Canal to transit directly between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans for the first time, Jason Scholey, Senior Product Manager at the UKHO commented. The expansion of the Canal has created a new lane of traffic through the construction of a new, larger set of locks and improved navigational channels that will double the Canals capacity. The existing locks allowed the passage of up to 5,000 TEU vessels, but the Expanded Canal will allow the passage of Post-Panamax vessels, capable of carrying up to 13,000/14,000 TEUs.