The Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is approximately
80 kilometers long between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. This
waterway was cut through one of narrowest saddles of the isthmus
that joins North and South America. We offer
Panama Canal Cruise
tours and partial transits. Contact us for more
information.
The Canal uses a system of locks
-compartments with entrance and exit gates. The locks function as
water lifts: they raise ships from sea level (the Pacific or the
Atlantic) to the level of Gatun Lake (26 meters above sea level);
ships then sail the channel through the Continental Divide.
Each set of locks bears the name of
the town site where it was built: Gatun (on the Atlantic side), and
Pedro Miguel and Miraflores (on the Pacific side). The lock chambers -steps-- are
33.53 meters wide by 304.8 meters long. The maximum dimensions of
ships that can transit the Canal are: 32.3 meters in beam; draft
-their depth reach- 12 meters in Tropical Fresh Water; and 294.1
meters long (depending on the type of ship).
The water used to raise and lower
vessels in each set of locks comes from Gatun Lake by gravity; it
comes into the locks through a system of main culverts that extend
under the lock chambers from the sidewalls and the center wall.
Click on any thumbnail to see a
larger photo of various locks and stages of the Panama Canal.
The narrowest portion of the Canal
is Culebra Cut, which extends from the north end of Pedro Miguel
Locks to the south edge of Gatun Lake at Gamboa. This segment,
approximately 13.7 kilometers long, is carved through the rock and
shale of the Continental Divide.
Ships from all parts of the world
transit daily through the Panama Canal. Some 13 to 14 thousand
vessels use the Canal every year. In fact, commercial
transportation activities through the Canal represent
approximately 5% of the world trade. The Canal has a work force of
approximately 9 thousand employees and operates 24 hours a day,
365 days a year, providing transit service to vessels of all
nations without discrimination.
We offer partial
transit Panama Canal
Cruises.
Contact us for more
information.
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