Took me awhile but finally figured out how to make this home movie of navigating thru the Panama Canal.  Not too slick film-wise; Speilberg doesn’t have anything to worry about just yet.  However, it does give you a little feel for how it is traversing the Panama Canal.   The trip  is usually an hour and a half, but I’ve condensed here to about 8 minutes for you.  (The opening segment is something I filmed off the ship’s T-V broadcast of our ship entering the Canal at 0 dark thirty.) 

 
The last shot on the video is a photo of the ongoing canal expansion effort where they are building new canal locks to accommodate wider ships.   Panama’s initial goal was to have completed the effort this year, the 100th year anniversary of the Canal.  However, the Spanish company contracted to build it ran out of money. 

When Panama bid the effort out several years ago, United States Bechtel Company submitted a $4B proposal.  However, in a case of “low bidderitis” the Panamanians elected to go with a Spanish firm whose bid was $3B.  The Spanish company has now run out of money and guess how much they say they need to complete the job? If you said $1B you’re right on.  The controversy continues (click here.)   Bet that Panama now wishes that they’d gone with Bechtel. 

From Reuters

Took me awhile but finally figured out how to make this home movie of navigating thru the Panama Canal.  Not too slick film-wise; Speilberg doesn’t have anything to worry about just yet.  However, it does give you a little feel for how it is traversing the Panama Canal.   The trip  is usually an hour and a half, but I’ve condensed here to about 8 minutes for you.  (The opening segment is something I filmed off the ship’s T-V broadcast of our ship entering the Canal at 0 dark thirty.) 

 
The last shot on the video is a photo of the ongoing canal expansion effort where they are building new canal locks to accommodate wider ships.   Panama’s initial goal was to have completed the effort this year, the 100th year anniversary of the Canal.  However, the Spanish company contracted to build it ran out of money. 

When Panama bid the effort out several years ago, United States Bechtel Company submitted a $4B proposal.  However, in a case of “low bidderitis” the Panamanians elected to go with a Spanish firm whose bid was $3B.  The Spanish company has now run out of money and guess how much they say they need to complete the job? If you said $1B you’re right on.  The controversy continues (click here.)   Bet that Panama now wishes that they’d gone with Bechtel. 

From Reuters