CANAL TRANSIT,Part 5, Gold Hill to the End of Gaillard Cut

One of the major projects in preparation for the larger locks is to deepen the channel. Here in the Gaillard (Culebra) Cut, in order for a ship to navigate past a dredge, the dredge must move to the side. This ship (Nord Imagination) was travelling south as we were approaching the dredge, MINDI. The dredge was working in what appeared to be the center of the Canal but as we approached, you could see that it was moving its business end away from the center of the Channel, kind of pivoting sideways at its stern. Every time a ship of any size needs to pass, the dredge moves aside. In between those times, this dredge uses its 12,000 hp pumps and intake apparatus to suck up bottom material along the Cut and send it through its floating discharge pipe to the land where it is loaded and hauled away for dumping.

The floating pipe is visible on its pontoons at the edge of the water. It is about 30 inches in diameter and it makes a huge splash as the material comes out the end. The discharge is near the center of the next photo. You can compare the volume of the discharge with the size of the track hoe on the left side which is about 30' high by 40' long. There are at least four track hoes working to move the dredge material away from the discharge and load it into trucks that haul it away. MINDI has been working exclusively in the Gaillard Cut since 1942. It has been slated for replacement in May 2011 by a new, more powerful and deeper cutting dredge (being made in Holland and possibly the sister of the very large dredge in the photograph at the beginning of the Transit Posts.) MINDI will apparently be retired or sold.
This dredge has a crew of 20 and is 125 feet long. You can see the swivel apparatus right at the stern that allows the bow end to be pivoted left and right without disturbing the discharge pipe.

I didn't realize that these will be some of the last 2 or 300 thousand photographs taken of MINDI. I would have tried harder to make a better record.

We are nearing the end of the Cut and will soon arrive at Gamboa. The Partial Transit tourists get off at Gamboa and ride a bus back to Panama City. Those of us with green wristbands stay on board and complete the transit.

JCE