OPPORTUNITIES AWAIT FOR HIGHER CAPACITY GRAIN HANDLERS The expanded Panama Canal unlocks considerable capacity for grain operators; Bruks Siwertell technology can enable terminals to capitalize on these gains, delivering modernized ports that offer optimal efficiency and environmental protection TEXT
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completed new expansion works in 2016, increasing the depth by around three meters. The new depth holds the potential for a major impact on the agriculture industry in the United States, and beyond. Grain is the biggest US commodity shipped through the Canal; three out of every ten bushels of grain exports travel through it; and when it comes to soybeans, it is 44 percent, or around 600 million bushels. THE PANAMA CANAL
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The United Soybean Board (USB) has estimated that the new draft and larger vessel sizes afforded by the expansion can increase the potential of each shipment by 13,300 metric tons of grain, equivalent to 488,642 bushels, and could decrease the freight rate by as much as 20 percent. Developments at the Canal are watched closely by the agricultural industries, particularly those based on the
