Panama Canal administrator Jorge Quijano said Tuesday that authorities are studying “prohibiting” the use of cell phones while vessels are transiting the waterway to increase safety.

“The excessive use of cell phones concerns us because they are becoming elements of distraction and that cannot be permitted here,” said Quijano after presenting to the accredited press in Panama a report on the newly-expanded waterway’s first month of operations.

The administrator said that the restriction would apply not only to vessel transits, but rather to all operations at the Canal posing any risk for personnel or the safe passage of ships.

He cited as an example the fact that on Monday, when the first vessel carrying Liquefied Natural Gas – the Maran Gas Apollonia – passed through the Canal, the ship’s owners asked the Panama Canal Authority for the cell phones of all personnel in the vicinity to be turned off to avoid any incident that might pose a danger.

Quijano, in responding to a question, said that he did not know if any Canal employee was playing “Pokemon Go” on his or her mobile device, but he added that “we cannot give ourselves the luxury of having a distraction.”

“We’re going to establish rules, we’re evaluating the situation. At least, prohibiting (cell phone) use on the transits,” he said.

The expansion of the Panama Canal was initially slated to cost $5.25 billion and was carried out between 2007 and June 2016 to double the waterway’s annual cargo transit capacity from 300 million to 600 million tons. EFE

Panama Canal, Jul 26 (EFE)