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原文传递 Potential Impacts of the Panama Canal Expansion on Texas Ports

题名：	Potential Impacts of the Panama Canal Expansion on Texas Ports
作者：	Prozzi, J.; Overmyer, S.
关键词：	Panama canal expansion##Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)##Vessel control##All-water route##
摘要：	The 2016 expansion of the Panama Canal allows significantly larger cargo ships traveling from East Asia to access the U.S. Gulf and East Coasts via an all-water route, which is typically the least costly way to transport goods. This study sought to examine the potential impacts specifically on Texas sea ports. The Port of Houston has predicted an increase in traffic in the long-term due to the Panama Canal expansion, expecting that the newly deepened Port will attract heavier or larger vessels to unload there. Other Gulf Coast ports also expect an increase. Expanded channels have been approved for the Ports of Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Freeport, and the Sabine-Neches Waterway, but no funding has been appropriated to these projects. To date, the greatest impact of the expansion appears to be associated with tankers, especially for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG). Some 86 percent of the world’s LNG fleet can now pass through the Canal, compared to only 8 percent before the expansion. Prior to the expansion, about 40 ships passed through the Canal each day. The expansion increased the total capacity, but the maximum per-day capacity of the new locks is not yet known. Although the number of vessel transits through the expanded Panama Canal from 2015 to 2016 increased for tankers, the number of transits during the same period decreased for container ships and dry bulk vessels, defying some predictions. Canal officials predict a doubling of LNG vessel transits by 2020. Texas already has two Gulf Coast LNG terminals operating, and two more are expected to open in 2018. Seventy percent of Texas imports from East Asia arrive via an all-water route to Texas. For exports to East Asia, 21 percent by weight leave through California. High-value goods seem more likely to use the intermodal route through California than low-value goods. The faster travel time from north and central Asia to the U.S. via the Panama Canal will likely continue to give the Panama Canal the advantage between those two markets. However, imports from Southeast Asia will likely travel through the Suez Canal because of time savings on that already-established route. Despite the additional time needed to use other alternatives (i.e., going around South America, or using the Suez Canal) it is possible that shippers will choose longer routes to avoid Panama Canal tolls. Currently some shippers are avoiding the Panama and Suez Canals altogether because low fuel prices are making longer routes more affordable. Despite the potential afforded by its increased capacity, the expanded Panama Canal still faces a number of challenges, including: a decrease in global shipping, safety of the locks, difficulty in guiding bigger vessels through the locks, and an unreliable source for the greater amount of water needed to fill the locks.
总页数：	72
报告类型：	科技报告