In the existing locks, ships are also tethered to electric locomotives, called mules, which run along the dock walls and help align the ships correctly. In the new locks, there will be no mules — an issue that concerns the local workforce.
A new lane is being built to allow ships which can carry more than double the current cargo to pass through the isthmus.
Currently tugboats help guide ships through the narrow waterway. In the existing locks, ships are also tethered to electric locomotives, called mules, which run along the dock walls and help align the ships correctly.
A large vessel may have up to eight mules guiding it, with two on each side at the bow and stern.
In the new locks, there will be no mules.
The lack of mules is something that worries tugboat captains, says Ivan de la Guardia, general secretary of the Union of Tugboat Captains and Deck Officers of the Panama Canal. He fears the responsibility for guiding ships safely through the new locks will lie squarely with tugboat captains.
He says, so far, the canal administration hasn’t provided any guidance and has failed to include his members in relevant planning committees.
“We haven’t had any training or any briefing by anyone from the canal administration on how they plan to do this,” he says. “This raises a big red flag because there are obvious safety concerns.”