Day 64 – Transit through the Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is a 51 mile long, artificially created waterway, connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean. Locks at each end lift ships up to the Gatun Lake, 85 feet above sea level, before lowering them again at the other end. An average of 52 million gallons of fresh water is utilised for the passage of each ship.

The maximum boat length which can pass through the canal is 366 m (1200 feet) and the maximum beam (width) is 49 m (160 feet).

Construction was begun by the French in 1881, but the project foundered and finally went bankrupt in 1889, following the deaths of some 22,000 workers through disease and accidents. The project was then purchased by the United States in 1904 for the sum of $45 million and was finally completed in 1914. After a period of joint US/Panamanian control, the government of Panama took full control in 1999.

The canal is so critical to global shipping that ships are specifically designed and built to fit through it. These are called ‘Panamax’ ships, of which Queen Victoria is one. A third, wider set of locks was built in the 21st century and opened in 2016. The new locks allow for larger ‘Neo-Panamax’ ships to transit through. The Suez Canal, by comparison, does not have locks as all sections of it are at sea level.

All vessels passing through the canal must pay a toll. For a cruise ship the size of Queen Victoria the toll is $100,000 per transit. In 2024 there was a total of 11,240 transits, taking an average transit time of 8-10 hours (ours took 10 hours). The lowest toll ever paid was 36 cents by Richard Halliburton when he swam the canal in 1928!

Due to global warming and reduced rainfall in the region, the water levels on which the canal relies have critically fallen. In October 2023 the canal region had 41% less rain than usual and this has severely impacted the $270 billion worth of cargo that transits through the canal annually. The number of vessels that can transit the canal has reduced from an average of 12,000 per annum to 9,000 per annum annually. In addition every ship has had to reduce its cargo due to weight restrictions. However, sustainability projects are in motion. The new Neo-Panamax locks recycle 60% of the 50 million gallons of fresh water used in each transit, although the old locks require extensive overhauling to achieve this and due to the cost and time implications, there are no immediate plans to upgrade them.