Planning, Design, and Construction for Expansion of PSA’s Panama Hub Port

The opening of the new, third lane for the Panama Canal presented PSA Panama International Terminal (PPIT) with the opportunity to expand their single berth facility at the former Rodman Naval Base at the Pacific entrance to the canal. The new facilities are designed for neo-Panamax ships and the projected increase in container volume in the region. The expansion was procured under five major civil works contracts: design-build for the berths and electrical system; owner’s design for the container yard, dredging, buildings. The container handling equipment [quay cranes, rail-mounted gantry cranes (RMGs), yard tractors, and trailers] were procured under separate contracts to the owner’s detailed specifications. The complex and varied geology provided unique challenges to the design and development of marine and landside facilities. Blasting, dry excavation, and cutter suction dredging were required to create the marine side facilities. Extensive ground improvements and an innovation pavement design were implemented for the high-density container yard. The terminal was designed for a mix of container handling equipment consisting of RMGs, rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTGs), plus side and top picks. Other improvements included advanced information technology (IT) services and multiple redundancies to allow the facility to operate seamlessly and continuously, with capacity for future remote operations and automation. This terminal sets new standards for modern container terminals in Panama and the region.