Panama Canal expansion sets up battle of the US ports

For the first time since its completion a century ago, the Panama Canal is being widened, setting up a long and costly battle among US ports for the business of handling supersized container ships filled with goods from Asia.

When the project is completed in 2015, ports on the East Coast and Gulf Coast will be able to compete for business that until now has been dominated by West Coast ports.

At stake are thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in federal and local investment. The case of the MSC Fabiola — a hulking mass of steel and containers nearly as long as the Empire State Building is high — illustrates what those stakes are.


Source: Investigative Newsource