BRUCE SMITH
Associated Press

ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (AP) — The head of the Panama Canal Authority says completion of the canal’s $5 billion expansion has been delayed until 2016.

Jorge Quijano (OR-hey KEY-ah-no) told maritime leaders at the South Carolina International Trade Conference on Tuesday that problems with contractors have delayed the project originally set to be finished this year.

He gave those at the Isle of Palms conference an update on the status of the expansion project and said construction of the new locks to handle a new generation of larger container ships is about 75 percent complete.

He says he’s not ready to provide a specific opening date. But he says the authority has been asked by shipping lines when that will be because they want one of their ships to be the first to pass through.

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