the widening of the channel of Panama hat could grow the insured values of cargos of beyond a billion of dollars to the day



According to a study of the company of marine insurances Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS), once the work of widening of the channel of Panama hat concluded the intensification of the traffic and the passage of larger ships in the Central American water way could grow the insured values of cargos of beyond a billion of dollars to the day, with the consequent increase of the long risk of accumulation the system of the channel and the ports feeder. The analysis is based on the forecasts of increase of the ability to traffic of the channel after the widening formulated by the Autoridad of the Canal de Panama City (the ACP), second which the works in progress will allow to increase to the ability to transit of the channel from 300 million tons PC/UMS (Panama hat Canal/Universal Measurement System) to 600 million tons PC/UMS.

In the entitled relationship "Panama hat Canal 100: Shipping Safety and Future Risks" company AGCS remembers that every year more than 12.000 oceanic ships journeys in the channel, a figure that could increase in meaningful way as a result of the opening of the closed new previewed in 2015. Esteem - the study specifies - than the expansion will approximately allow the 12-14 passage larger ships with the day (4,750 ships in more per year). To moreover one attends us that many of these ships will be portacontainer of class new-Panamax of the ability to 12.600 teu, a clearly advanced ability regarding the greatest portacontenitori currently in a position to approaching the channel (4,400 teu).

With approximately 3% (270 billion dollars) of world-wide the marine commerce (nine thousand billions of dollars) that every year journeys already in the channel of Panama hat - observes the study - the sure passage of the ships is of fundamental importance. However - second the AGCS experts - the intensification of the traffic and the passage of larger ships can put to the test the improvement of the level of safety of the channel of Panama hat achieved in the last decade, with an increment of the risks in particular in the initial period after the inauguration of the widening of the channel. The study remembers relatively low in fact as the channel of Panama hat has recorded a level of safety in constant improvement during the last few years, with a total of 30 happened incidents of navigation in the last decade, between which only two "losses totals". This rate incidents, of about every 4,000 transits - the relationship observes - positive if is confronted with other main water ways as the Suez Canal (an incident every 1,100 transits) and the channel of Kiel (every 830 transits).

"Larger ships - commander Rahul Khanna has explained, AGCS responsible Marine Risk Consulting - involve greater risks automatically. The pure and simple amount of the transported cargo implies that a serious incident has the potential one to lead to a considerable loss and a disaster of enormous proportions. For example, a ship container new-Panamax fully loaded of 12 600 teu has a length pairs to four gridirons with the maximum width until 49 meters and alone it could have a value insured of the cargo of 250 million dollars".

According to the AGCS esteem, a full operativity of the ability planned as a result of the expansion could exactly involve an increase pairs to 1,25 billion dollars of the insured values of the goods that pass through the channel in a day, for a total of 460 billion dollars per year, with the larger ships that will play an essential role in the increase of the transit ability.

The study evidences as the potential impact of a any marine incident could be very more wide one of the single block of the transits through the channel of Panama hat and could ripercuotere also on the traffics of the main ports of the United States and other nations determining a potential increase of the interruptions of the activities and the insurance losses. Moreover - the study finds - various ports and terminals of the United States are situated on the coast oriental and the Gulf and are exposed to hurricanes; therefore insured larger ships that transport put up quantitative of goods will pass more time in these ports and this will involve an increase of the risk. For example - the AGCS experts remember - great part of the losses of the superstorm Sandy happened in the 2012 is caused by the sea storm that has overflowed the ports of the northeastern region of the USA.

According to the study, in order to come encounter to the requirements of the larger ships necessary modifications in the ports situated along the chain of supplying of the Panamanian channel will become also, than to they time they will involve ulterior different challenges: they will be necessary adaptations of infrastructures, as crane of greater dimensions in order to operate on these ships and in order to manage the increase of the traffic volume; the ability to handling of cargos will have to be improved in order to avoid slows down and congestion of the traffic in the ports; another challenge will be constituted by the management of the larger ships: the operating procedures of the ports will have to be audited regarding the wind and meteorological constraints given the limited operating margins that characterize the maneuvers of these ships.

Vice versa - it has specified commander William Hansen, senior Marine Risk engineer of AGCG- an exclusively marine route which extended from Asia to the coast oriental or to the USA Gulf it could effectively carry to a reduction of the risk in another area: "more it is succeeded to maintain a container on a ship avoiding to carry out multiple transfers, on trains and other modalities, much best".

According to commander Khanna, "the widening of the channel of Panama hat will represent a new scene of marine traffic for many operators of the field. Because of the increase of the number of larger ships that will pass through this important via of water - has observed - the level of formation offered to the pilots will be extremely important. The attempt to maneuver one of these ships in a so narrow space creates a danger very greater in itself". Remembering that the Autoridad of the Canal de Panama City has invested considerable in the formation and that has planned also the chartering of a ship post-Panamax in order to allow with the manovratori to practice, Khanna it has evidenced that the formation cannot allow to prepare totally the attache's to face the problematic ones who will happen in reality and have emphasized that "it is extremely important that the processes and the systems in existence are dynamic and that the field learns from the errors with proceeding of the operations, because of being unavoidable that from there some will come store clerks. Even if numerous sessions of formation will be carried out - it has specified - this can only happen respect to a limited number of ships, but when at the end the channel is opened a multitude of various ships with different characteristics crosses it, and this will be revealed very challenging".