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AdamSmith

'Land of opportunity – and fear – along route of Nicaragua’s giant new canal'

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Engrossing in-depth look at this megaproject.

Land of opportunity – and fear – along route of Nicaragua’s giant new canal

In an era of breathtaking engineering feats, there is unease about what this mega project will mean for people and their homes, wildlife and ecosystems. Will it bring wealth and growth or confusion and destruction?

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/20/-sp-nicaragua-canal-land-opportunity-fear-route

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Best thing to do is google it. Way to much sketchy stuff going on down there than I have the energy to organize in my head.

Just for two (and completely disregarding all the odd stuff going on with the proposed canal itself):

1) Only a very small % of the world's shipping won't fit the new Panama Canal lock system set to open late this year or early 2016 which should provide plenty of capacity to cover the next 2 or 3 decades growth in demand. The only result of adding the unneeded capacity in Nicaragua would be a ruinous price war that would bankrupt both canals.

2) All along the Gulf and East coasts, US ports have just spent/are in the process of spending billions of dollars to be able to service the new Panamax size shipping that's been built to take advantage of the new larger locks. It is doubtful, to say the least, that they would be interested in doubling down and investing a like amount to service an entirely hypothetical fleet of Nicaraguamax super ships.

PS The new Panamax ships carry roughly 50% more cargo than the old Panamax, dependeing of the type of cargo. That's going to soak up a lot of demand for shipping.

Post_Panamax_Ship_by_Xanatos4.jpg

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Ah! Thank you.

Oddest bit of the article that I linked was, right at the end, it started to ask just who and what is this entity from China that has the contract to build the Nicaragua canal. And then abruptly the article ended. Just like a Chinese Internet session going dead! :lol: (Which I had happen to me more than once during that trip in Shanghai that I mentioned elsewhere.)

I will consult the Googles as you advise.

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So Costa Rican and other sources speculate one motivation of many may be Ortega's interests in deflecting attention from economic etc problems under his regime.

Wikipedia says, among much else:

HKND does not have any civil engineering expertise and has been accused of being a front for the Chinese government, which they deny. HKND seems not to have secured the capital needed for the project and is now asking for the land to be given to them on a 50 year credit or lease.

Many things to make you go Hmm. As you said, MsGuy.

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Guest callipygian

An extraordinarily apt image for any Windows-based PC! :lol:

Good News, Adam Smith! Windows 10 is just around the corner a black box recovery away for you!

post-127928-0-27661900-1422483811_thumb.

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Here's an article on the impact of the new Panama Canal with a sidebar on Nicaragua's proposed sea level project.

Thank you!

The most amazing bit to me was this:

Contractors here and in the United States say that the expansion project also can be seen as a global model of astute construction management. The opening of the expanded canal is expected to cost under $US 6 billion, just 10 percent more than the original $US 5.25 billion price tag.

Its commercial opening, now projected to occur in the spring of 2016, comes a year later than anticipated. In contrast, the construction of the $US 3 billion Olmsted Locks and Dam on the Ohio River, the largest inland navigation project in the United States, is more than $US 2 billion over budget and decades late in opening.

Part of my consulting biz relates to the giant engineering/construction firms, and these cost and schedule overruns are just astoundingly small for a project of this scale.

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Construction management, the government, and the people, once was, but is no longer, synonymous with it's original success and trust.

Or, as that article says in a sidebar about the challenges facing the Nicaragua canal project...

Lastly, marine environmental organizations warn that a sea-level canal would enable poisonous Pacific sea snakes to migrate into the Caribbean, threatening the region’s beach-based recreation and tourism industry.

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Glad to be of service, AS. :thumbsup:

You should register and make some astute comments on some of its articles. Who knows, maybe you'll catch a project manager's attention and weasel a consult or two.

Just don't forget who steered you there when the big checks start rolling in. :poke: Hmmm...how much is a consultant's cut on a multi billion dollar build? Inclusive of cost over-runs, I mean.

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Guest callipygian

It's always horrible, to find, that you're really mentally retarded

my eyes are so blurred here right now that I am not responsible for what follows.......

yet, I am responsible

OMG

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Guest callipygian

Well bless your heart, Callipygian, you know we'll always make room for you here.

Pedro.jpg

If you want to get cunty with me, you'll need to have bought a ticket.

Oh wait...

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People who put people into wheelchairs for, less than, humor, should be slaughtered.

OMG I didn't even notice that was a wheel chair the guy was sitting in. My bad, I apologize.

Here, I'll get you a nice new hat...and you get to choose the color all on your own!

HTB1AEz2GFXXXXXLXVXXq6xXFXXXZ.jpg

Feel better now?

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