The French began construction on the Panama Canal in the late 19th century. Thirty-three years later, American authorities declared it complete, and in 1999 it came under local government control. The canal has been a work shrouded in controversy and political storms, but at the same time it is recognized as one of the most spectacular constructions in the world. Connecting the Atlantic to the Pacific in less than 12 hours is no simple feat, and that leads us to ask: How does the Panama Canal work?
Unless you want to 'go down' to Cape Horn, your best bet for crossing from the Atlantic to the Pacific (or vice versa) by sea is to traverse the Panama Canal. Declared one of the seven modern wonders by the American Society of Civil Engineers, the canal today handles traffic far exceeding what its creators originally imagined, and more than 140 trade routes depend on its proper functioning.
How It Works
In relaxed terms, what they did was invent a lake and an artificial river of 82 kilometers, with locks operating at different levels. Lake Gatun sits at 26 meters above sea level, and every ship must 'climb' that. Going from Atlantic to Pacific, a hypothetical vessel needs to enter the Gatun or Agua Clara locks, wait for level adjustments at each, and cross Lake Gatun. Then there are two options: enter the Pedro Miguel locks, cross Lake Miraflores and enter its locks, or continue below to the Cocoli locks.
Ship Size Limits
Another very important aspect is that the canal limits the dimensions of ships. There are no compatibility options here: either the ship's design adapts to the canal, or it doesn't pass. The maximum dimensions are 366 by 49 meters, defined by the Neopanamax specification after the opening of the new locks in 2016. The reasons behind this expansion are strictly commercial. As expected, the canal charges tolls, but its old limits made it lose competitiveness against alternatives like the Suez Canal for shipments coming from Asia. Another option is to connect Hong Kong with Los Angeles and do the rest of the journey by train.
The impact of the expansions was so great that it forced several ports on the US East Coast to invest billions of dollars in their own expansions, in order to receive the new ships. The alternative is to make a stop in the Caribbean and transfer goods to smaller vessels. This only highlights the importance of the Panama Canal. Factors such as climate change and a reduction in rainfall in the area could alter its operation, shaking global trade in the process. But the canal is not alone. Underwater, very interesting things also happen.
