It is reported that one of the world's most vital shipping paths, the Panama Canal, is undergoing major improvements, and a Petersburg steel mill is playing a role.

Steel sheet piling produced by Gerdau Ameristeel's mills in Petersburg and in Midlothian is being used in the USD 5.25 billion expansion of the canal. The project will double the capacity of the canal, allowing more ships and larger ships to traverse it.

The Petersburg mill produced 1,200 tonnes of the 17,000 tonnes of sheet piling the company manufactured for the Panama Canal expansion.

Mr David Maedgen manager of piling sales at Gerdau Ameristeel said that "It is one of those projects that don't come along too often, to be able to participate in the expansion of such a notable feature on the globe. There is so much international traffic that goes through that canal."

Steel sheet piling is a manufactured construction product with mechanical connections at both ends of the section. The connections interlock to form a continuous wall of sheet piling.

In the Panama Canal project, the materials produced by Gerdau Ameristeel will be used for the excavation of the canal's Pacific access channel and the construction of the Borinquen Dam, a key part of the expansion.

Steel sheet pile applications are typically designed to create a rigid barrier for earth and water. The Petersburg mill, which has 415 employees and the capacity to produce 1 million tonnes of steel per year, made a type of steel sheet piling called Z sheets for the project.

Mr Maedgen said that "It is a complicated product to produce. There are only four steel mills in the whole world that can make this section."

Gerdau Ameristeel's primary distributor, LB Foster Co, moved the steel from the Virginia and Texas facilities to the site in Panama, a process that involved 161 rail cars, four oceangoing vessels and 880 truckloads.

(Sourced from www.timesdispatch.com)