en.Wedoany.com Reported - Panama Canal has initiated the overhaul of the Gatun Locks (Esclusas de Gatún) as part of its overall maintenance program with an annual investment exceeding $500 million.

The work is carried out in a dry chamber, meaning the water is temporarily drained to allow safe access to structures and components that are normally submerged. The canal authority stated that such maintenance is conducted approximately once a year in different lock chambers and is planned to avoid disrupting vessel traffic.

The scope of work includes replacing six valves on gates 33 and 34 of the Gatun Locks. According to Wilfredo Yao, an overhaul engineer in the locks division of the Panama Canal Authority (Autoridad del Canal de Panamá, ACP), four of these valves are damaged and require repair to prevent leaks and help ensure efficient water usage.

The Panama Canal has a total of five lock systems: three century-old locks that began operation in August 1914, and two others that are part of the expansion project inaugurated in June 2016. The infrastructure includes 14 lock chambers, 12 of which belong to the Panamax lock system.

Each lock chamber measures 304.8 meters in length and 33.5 meters in width, requiring 101,000 cubic meters of water to fill. Additionally, the canal has 46 hinged gates, each 19.8 meters wide and 2.1 meters thick, with heights ranging from 14.32 meters to 24.9 meters depending on location.

The ACP stated that the gates being repaired are part of the original structures built for the canal's opening in 1914.

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