In March, contracts for services, consultants, and construction projects were awarded. They expect to award one of the most important contracts, the design and construction of the third set of locks, in July.

La Estrella publishes in its web portal the comments of Ilya Marotta, the executive manager of Resource Planning for the Expansion Program of the Panama Canal Authority (ACP): "One of the greatest challenges that the expansion has faced is that it has to to be executed during a global economic crisis....The ACP, of course, is considering the possible effects of the world crisis, but it does not expect any delays or postponements up to now."