The construction of the Panama Canal was one of the most important milestones in navigation. Commissioned in 1920 (the first ship passed through it in 1914, but due to a landslide in the fall of that year, official traffic was opened only six years later), the canal shortened the distance between the ports of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans several times - previously, To get from one ocean to another, ships had to go around South America all the way around Cape Horn. Today, the Panama Canal is one of the world's main shipping routes, through which about 18 thousand ships pass annually (the current canal capacity is 48 ships per day), which constitutes a significant part of the world's cargo turnover.
The history of the Panama Canal dates back to the 16th century, when the Spaniard Vasco Nunez de Balboa was the first to cross the Isthmus of Panama and reach the Pacific coast - so it was discovered that the territory of modern Panama is only a narrow strip of land between the oceans. In 1539, the Spanish king sent an exploration expedition to study the possibility of building a waterway across the Isthmus of Panama, but the expedition reported to the king that this idea was not feasible.
The first real attempt to build the Panama Canal was made by the French in 1879 under the leadership of Ferdinand de Lesseps, a diplomat and director of the Suez Canal project, which had opened shortly before, in 1869. But building the Panama Canal was a much more difficult task. In 1889, the French project went bankrupt - the challenge posed by the Panamanian jungle with its tropical rains, impenetrable swamps and at the same time rocky soils, floods and, worst of all, deadly epidemics of malaria, yellow fever, plague, typhus and other diseases was too difficult , which claimed the lives of about 20 thousand people in the first campaign.
Then the States took up the construction of the Panama Canal. The United States was interested in shortening the waterway from the ports of California to its Atlantic coast, and most importantly, the Panama Canal had enormous military significance - it made it possible to almost instantly transfer a fleet from one ocean basin to another, which significantly increased the power and global influence of the United States. In 1903, the United States bought the Panama project from the French, ensured Panama's independence from Colombia, which did not want to provide the Americans with the canal zone for essentially indefinite use, and then signed a formal agreement with the new Panamanian government (which was again represented by the Frenchman Philippe-Jean Bunod -Varilla, who was one of the main participants in the bankrupt first project). The treaty gave the United States a 5-kilometer zone on each side of the canal for indefinite use (that is, essentially forever) and the exclusive right to occupy territories outside this zone as part of any measures to protect the waterway. Thus, the declaration of the canal as neutral and the guarantee of free passage through the canal for military and merchant vessels of all nations, both in time of peace and in war, was destroyed by the American stipulation that these regulations would not apply to such measures as the United States deemed necessary to take for the defense of Panama and maintaining order in the channel. In fact, in a war in which the United States participated, its military fortifications would inevitably deprive the other belligerent of the opportunity to use the canal on an equal footing.
John Frank Stevens became the chief engineer of the Panama Canal. Taking into account the mistakes of the French, the Americans first of all took enormous measures to disinfect the construction area and prevent tropical diseases. The project was also changed - according to the French project, the Panama Canal, like the Suez Canal, was supposed to be built at the same level as the oceans, without locks. This required a colossal amount of excavation work on the watershed section of the route. American engineers changed the project and proposed a lock canal with three stages of locks on each side and a watershed section at an altitude of 26 meters above ocean level. The Gatun Reservoir was created on the watershed, into which ships from the Atlantic side were raised in the Gatun locks, and from the Pacific side - in the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores locks.
The Panama Canal opened in 1920 and remained under US control for many years. There were dozens of American military bases in the canal zone, and about 50 thousand military and civilian specialists worked. Over time, dissatisfaction regarding this began to grow more and more in Panama, and in 1977 an agreement was signed on the gradual transfer of the Panama Canal from the United States to Panama. In reality, this process took more than two decades, and the canal zone finally came into the possession of Panama on December 31, 1999.
The length of the canal is 81.6 kilometers, of which 65.2 kilometers are actually on land and another 16.4 approach kilometers along the bottom of the Panama and Limon bays to deep water. Vessels large enough to pass through the Panama Canal are called Panamax vessels. This standard was the main one for seagoing vessels until the beginning of the 1990s, when active construction of Post-Panamax class vessels (mainly tankers), whose dimensions were larger than the dimensions of the Panama Canal locks, began. Today, the cost of one trip through the Panama Canal depends on the type and size of the vessel and ranges from $800 for a small yacht to $500,000 for the largest vessels. There were also funny cases - for example, in 1928, the famous American traveler Richard Halliburton, who sailed through the canal from one ocean to another, was charged 36 cents. :)
The Panama Canal today is not only one of the world's most important transport connections, but also the main tourist attraction of Panama. The Panama Canal now operates a large tourist center at the Miraflores locks, where from several special observation platforms you can see the locks and the ships passing through them, while the loudspeaker tells about each ship, its route and what it is carrying. There are other tours - by bus along the canal, by rail, walks on small boats; Some standard Caribbean cruises take cruise ships through the Gatun Locks up the Atlantic side of the canal to the watershed and then back out into the Caribbean Sea (and tourists can sail the rest of the Panama Canal on excursions). But by far the best, most unique and enthusiastic way to see the Panama Canal is to transit it entirely on a cruise ship, cross it from the Atlantic to the Pacific (or vice versa) and continue the cruise further in a completely different ocean basin. Absolutely everyone, even the most experienced travelers, prepare for the passage of the Panama Canal in a completely special way.
The actual passage of the Panama Canal takes on average about 9 hours, not counting the waiting time for ships at huge sea roads on each side. The cruise ship, of course, goes exactly on schedule and heads into the canal immediately, out of turn. The Zaandam approaches the Panama Canal Zone at approximately 5 am. The entrance to the spacious approach area of the Panama Canal from the Caribbean Sea is marked by powerful lighthouses and protected by many kilometers of dams. At the entrance to the canal in the roadstead, dozens of ships of all sizes and colors stand waiting for their turn, brightly lit in the night. And on the shore of the bay there is the city and port of Colon, with a huge container terminal. The same container terminal is located at the other entrance to the canal - thus, container ships of the “Post-Panamax” class (that is, larger than the locks of the Panama Canal) are unloaded at these entrance ports, containers with cargo are transported along the railway running along the canal, and then on the other side they board new ships and continue the route. The railway between ports is also used to partially unload large container ships passing through the canal to reduce their draft.
1. It’s five in the morning, it’s just starting to get light, but most tourists are already on their feet: entering the Panama Canal is one of the central events of the cruise! We enter the approaching water area, from the board in the pre-dawn twilight the lights of the Colon port are visible.
4. Having taken on board a group of pilots, we head to the entrance - from the Caribbean Sea, the Panama Canal begins with a three-stage staircase of Gatun locks, in which ships rise from the level of the Atlantic Ocean to the watershed section of the canal.
5. To the left of the existing two-line locks, starting in 2007, an additional third line of Panama Canal locks has been built.
They will be significantly larger than the existing ones and will increase the maximum size and draft of ships that can sail through the canal. If the current locks have dimensions of 304.8 x 33.5 and a depth of 12.8 meters, then the new ones are respectively 427 x 55 x 18.3. In addition to the construction of the second stage of locks, the fairway at the Culebra watershed is currently being expanded and deepened, so that two-way traffic of vessels along the entire length of the canal becomes possible (currently, traffic and locking on the Panama Canal is essentially one-way - first a group of ships goes in one direction, then in the opposite direction, and the ships diverge on wider lake sections of the route). After the completion of this large-scale reconstruction, the capacity of the Panama Canal will double.
6. Old and new locks of the Panama Canal
9. Longitudinal profile of the Panama Canal
11. At 6-30 am we approach the Gatun locks. The movement of ships along one of the most important transport connections in the world goes on continuously, from the bow of the Zaandam we can clearly see four ships rising up the lock stairs in front of us, two in each line.
12. On the bank of the canal there are huge gates for the second stage of locks under construction - they were made in Italy and were delivered to the canal recently, at the end of August 2013.
13. We approach the first gateway. Clumsy sea vessels are moved from chamber to chamber with the help of special locomotives, to which mooring lines are attached and tensioned. Locomotives with stretched moorings attached to them accompany the ship on four sides (at the bow and stern on each side) - thus, a perfectly clear entry of huge sea vessels into a very small chamber compared to their size is carried out. Mooring lines from the locomotives are supplied to the ship using a boat.
14. The mooring lines are secured - let's go! :)
15. We enter the first lock chamber - ships rise from the Caribbean Sea to the watershed area in the three-stage Gatun locks. The total lifting height is 26 meters. Accordingly, just under nine meters per step. But from aboard a huge sea liner, this nine-meter drop is not perceived as significant.
16. There is incredible excitement on the decks!
17. Since the United States finally withdrew from the Panama Canal in 1999, the unique structure has been maintained and maintained entirely by Panama. The channel is in good hands! :)
18. The locomotive, starting the ship from the stern on the starboard side, deftly climbs up. Now the gates will close and the locking will begin.
19. Having risen in the first, we move to the second chamber.
20. One of the Panama Canal webcams is installed in the Gatun locks, which broadcast images on the Internet in real time. At this moment, many of my friends and colleagues are watching us walk through the locks. This is what the Zaandam slowly rising along the Atlantic slope of the Panama Canal looks like from the side. :)
21. Having completed the locking in the third chamber, “Zaandam” rises to the level of the watershed section of the canal. From the stern there is a stunning view of the lock staircase going down and the ships ascending it behind us. Breathtaking! Far below lies the expanse of the Caribbean Sea. And for us - to the Pacific Ocean. Goodbye Atlantic! :)
24. Having risen through the Gatun locks, the ship enters the lake of the same name. Lake Gatun is actually a large reservoir formed on the watershed by a large dam on the Chagres River, which is clearly visible on the right side.
The canal is fed with water from Lake Gatun. Such canals, in which the reservoir feeding them with water is located in a watershed area, from which water is distributed by gravity to both slopes, are called canals with natural feeding (gravity). In our country these are the Volga-Baltic and White Sea-Baltic canals.
25. On Lake Gatun there is another raid of ships waiting their turn at the locks and waiting for the end of locking of those who are coming towards them. When the second stage of the Panama Canal is put into operation, traffic along the entire length of the route will become completely two-way.
26. The route along the Gatun Reservoir is approximately half the entire length of the Panama Canal. We admire the surrounding landscapes of the equatorial belt from the deck.
29. The fairway is not wide and quite winding. The waterway is marked with special buoys.
30. At the Gatun Reservoir, ships going in opposite directions diverge. A caravan of ships is coming towards us, having passed through the locks of the Pacific slope in the morning and now heading towards the Atlantic slope of the canal. Large tankers, bulk carriers, container ships pass very close by...
35. The Zaandam is also viewed with interest from the bridges of oncoming cargo ships. The passage of cruise ships through the Panama Canal is a fairly rare event.
36. On the left side you can see the confluence of the Chagres River, which is crossed by a bridge. Gatun Reservoir ends here. Next, the canal route passes through the artificially dug Culebra cut.
37. A railway runs along the Panama Canal route, along which containers are transported from the Atlantic port to the Pacific port and vice versa. Sometimes tourist trains also run along it.
38. We go through the Culebra notch - the narrowest part of the Panama Canal.
39. In some areas, ships travel along the canal accompanied by tugboats. There is a whole special flotilla of them working on the Panama Canal.
40. In the place where the Culebra notch crosses a high mountain range, the banks rise steeply in steps, and the cable-stayed Centennial Bridge is already visible in the distance. It was built in 2004 and became the second permanent bridge over the canal. By the way, bridges over the Panama Canal connect two continents - let's not forget that the Panama Canal not only connects two oceans, but also separates the two Americas. The motto of Panama and the Panama Canal, “A Land Divided - A World United”, I think, is clear without additional translation. Now we have North America on the starboard side, and South America on the left side. :)
41. Rising with stone ledges and reinforced with powerful anchors, the slopes of the excavation in this place are reminiscent of some fantastic Mayan pyramids. In principle, in terms of its grandeur, the Panama Canal is a structure quite comparable to them. The volume of rock excavated during the creation of the Culebra excavation is equal in volume to 63 Cheops pyramids in Egypt.
43. Soon after the bridge, the watershed section of the canal ends and the descent to the Pacific Ocean begins, which ships also overcome in three 9-meter steps. But the Pacific slope is a little flatter - if on the Atlantic slope all three steps are located in a row in the Gatun locks, then here there are two groups of locks - Pedro Miguel (1 step) and Miraflores (2 steps), separated by a small intermediate pool. So, we go into the Pedro Miguel locks.
44. Approximately the same view opens from the captain's bridge. From this angle you can clearly see how narrow the lock chamber is compared to the colossal dimensions of ocean-going ships. Even with locomotives guiding the vessel, the navigators here require pinpoint precision. All ships navigate the canal with a group of local pilots.
46. Locomotives bring the Emerald Express tanker into the parallel chamber.
47. At this time on its decks.
48. Having finished sluicing in the Pedro Miguel locks, the Zaandam enters the small Lake Miraflores, like Lake Gatun, formed by the dam. Here we will have to wait a little - along a parallel thread of locks a huge floating crane is being pulled towards us, and for some time the ships go only along one thread.
49. We go out into the water area and stop. We'll have to wait half an hour until the ship in front of us locks into two chambers, and it's our turn.
50. The ships following us are also waiting - a small traffic jam! :)
51. On the left you can see the dam on the river that formed the Miraflores reservoir.
52. Finally, the lock chambers are cleared and are ready to receive our ship. This arrow shows the skippers which of the two lines they need to go to.
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At dawn, around six o'clock in the morning, we approached the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal. We were supposed to have a “scenic” passage along the canal all day.
No landings or stops were planned. There was a real jungle around and the sun was just rising.
Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal // dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
The entrance to the Panama Canal looks like this. In the distance you can see many ships waiting their turn to pass through the canal. On the right is the port of Colon and the lighthouse at the entrance to the canal. Here, the pilot came on board. In the Panama Canal, the captain is obliged to hand over control to him. Navigation here is very difficult, so training lasts 8 years. Only about 200 people in the world navigate ships through the canal. The total length of the canal is about 80 kilometers. Although it's not that long, it takes approximately 8-10 hours to complete.
// dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
The first stage is to rise from the Atlantic Ocean to the artificial Lake Gatun, through a system of locks of the same name. The difference between water levels is 26 meters. It is to this height that the power of water lifts every ship. All this is located about a kilometer from the entrance to the canal. Gateways can work in both directions. But as a rule, work is planned so that first the flow is in one direction, and then in the other. Along with us, a little ahead, was a large container ship. We went into all the locks one after another. Each time we could see the next step that awaits us. You see, he's on the left. And the small green-red arrow on the pier indicates that we need to go into the right lock.
// dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
Next year will mark 100 years since the opening of the canal. And although the French began to build the Panma Canal in 1879, this attempt was unsuccessful. Money was wasted, and mistakes were made in the design. The construction manager, Ferdinand Lesseps, failed to repeat the success of the Suez Canal. Thanks to political and financial pressure, the construction rights were transferred to the United States. This time, all leadership was concentrated in the hands of the army. And after 10 years, construction was successfully completed.
// dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
When you watch the ship enter the lock, it seems incredible that we can fit in such a narrow space. Moreover, the cost of a mistake here is enormous. On average, 36 ships pass this route every day. On the day we passed through the canal, the total number of ships was 57. Ship owners pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to pass through the canal. But it’s still much more profitable than making a detour of 13,000 kilometers, which requires 4 weeks of time.
// dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
Every year, 13,000 ships passing this route transport 172 million tons of cargo. Panama receives about $2 billion a year for the use of the canal.
// dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
The airlock doors weigh 680 tons each. When they close, they hide in a niche in the wall of the airlock.
// dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
They are powered by a giant hydraulic mechanism.
// dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
Our ship was Panamax class. This means the largest permissible size of a vessel to pass through the Panama Canal. Here you can see how much space was left from the side of our ship to the concrete wall. The width of the airlock chamber is 33.5 meters. The width of our ship is 32 meters. Accordingly, there was 75 centimeters left on each side in the ideal case. The length is 304.8 meters, while the length of the ship is 294 meters. I don’t know what kind of draft we had at that moment, but the minimum depth in the chamber was 12 meters 55 centimeters. All this reminds me of trying to take a horse into a regular bath to wash it.
// dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
It goes without saying that maneuvering in such conditions using only ship engines and rudders is impossible. Each ship is pulled through the locks by special locomotives. They are called mules. In addition to pulling the ship forward using 2.5-centimeter steel cables, the mules keep the ship in the middle, preventing it from hitting the concrete side. While passing through the locks, I looked at the GPS at what speed we were moving. Outwardly, it seemed like we were standing still. And only if you looked closely at the edge of the side, it was clear that we were still moving forward. It turned out that our speed at that moment was 3 kilometers per hour.
// dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
The mules are powered by electric traction. Each of them is capable of developing a pulling force of 35 tons. Between the rails there is another additional rail with a notch. Using a special gear, the mule clings to it in order to increase traction on the track. In total, about 100 locomotives are used on the canal. The cost of each of them is 2.1 million dollars. They work in teams of two, one in the cabin, directly controlling the speed and adjusting the tension of the cable. The second one is located outside, visually monitors the situation, and helps to remove and remove the steel cable for towing. See the orange chair outside? This is just for the second number.
// dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
The mule operators are controlled by junior pilots via radio channel. They are constantly located along the sides of the ship. Initially, ordinary ropes are wound onto the ship. These two workers in the boat are doing just that. They swim up to the side and pass the rope to the crew. Only then, with the help of it, the steel from the mules is pulled on board.
// dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
In addition, tugs actively assist during every maneuver. They help maintain the position of the vessel until the mules pull the ropes. Depending on the weight of the vessel, the number of mules may vary. Here you can see at least three mules on each side preparing to pull this container ship.
// dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
The ship rises solely with the help of gravity and water. In order to eliminate any turbulence and uneven water supply, it is pumped through hundreds of holes in the floor of the airlock chamber. Every day, 7.5 billion liters of fresh water from Lake Gatun are consumed.
Artificial Lake Gatun // dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
After the locks we find ourselves in one of the largest artificial lakes, Gatun. The main difference between the second attempt to build a canal was that the Americans decided not to build a canal at sea level. Instead, they noticed that the vicinity of the Chagres River is an almost ideal place for artificial flooding. An earthen dam was built, with the help of which the river was blocked. The total area of the lake is 418 square kilometers. This is one of the largest sources of fresh water in Panama.
// dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
In fact, all ships sail on top of the flooded jungle. The abundance of heavy rains helps maintain the water level in the lake. If the water level drops, then a limitation is imposed on the maximum draft of ships. Some have to be unloaded at the canal entrance to comply with regulations. Exceeding the level of 26 meters is also dangerous. Because if water flows through the sluice gates, it will be impossible to use the canal. In the area of the Gatun locks, there is a discharge dam to regulate the water level. At the time of construction, it was one of the largest in the world.
// dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
Before construction began, a huge amount of work was done to drain the surrounding area and kill mosquitoes. Jungles were cut down, swamps were drained, grass was mowed, and puddles were treated with kerosene to kill insect larvae. The French lost 20,000 people due to yellow fever and malaria. At that time it was not yet known that mosquitoes carried the disease. Thanks to such actions, it was possible to completely defeat yellow fever in the region, and reduce the number of cases of malaria infection to a minimum.
// dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
Along the entire route along the lake, various ships constantly came across us. Most of all there were container ships, tankers and such ships for transporting cars. The cruise ship was ours alone.
// dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
But to reach the Pacific Ocean, the builders had to overcome the Panama mountain range. This is the Culebra notch. In order to dig such a canal, the Americans reconstructed the old French railway, increasing its capacity tenfold. Moreover, it was destroyed by the great Panama earthquake of 1882. The earthquake was the final nail in the coffin of the French Panama Canal project. In addition, during the investigation it was revealed that a lot of funds were spent for other purposes. So the word "Panama" in French has become synonymous with a scam. The Centenary Bridge was recently built in one of the bottlenecks of the Culebra notch. It connects South and North America.
// dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
The height of the mountains that had to be overcome reached 80 meters. Every 3 years, an amount of rock equal in volume to the entire Suez Canal was removed from here.
// dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
This is the narrowest point of the canal. All ships that enter the Panama Canal install special equipment with a GPS receiver. At any moment, the pilot and the dispatcher see the position of all vessels on their computer. If visibility deteriorates, and rain and fog are not uncommon here, traffic is stopped.
// dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
In case of unforeseen circumstances and maneuvers, in the Culebra notch, we were constantly accompanied by tugboats.
// dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
We came across only small ships, and these were tourist boats. I think we were the number one impression for them during the entire excursion. It's not often that cruise ships enter the Panama Canal.
// dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
The ground around the canal is very unstable. It consists of soil, shale and clay. During rains, all this absorbs moisture, swells and causes mudslides. That’s why these floating dredges work on the canal every day. Using a drill on the bow, the soil is crushed and then sucked out along with the water. This pipeline releases soil approximately 10 kilometers from the canal. In addition, the channel is being expanded to increase its capacity.
// dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
Where the bottom is especially strong, floating drilling rigs like these work. They make many holes in the bottom into which explosives are placed. Then, after detonation, the rock is easier to remove using dredges or floating excavators.
// dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
Finally we came to the second gate on the way to the Pacific Ocean - Pedro Miguel. These locks lower us 9.5 meters into another artificial lake - Miraflores. To the right, behind the already familiar container ship, we see a huge construction site. For the centenary of the canal, a large-scale reconstruction began here. The main problem of the canal now is that it is not capable of passing large ocean-going ships. A century ago, this size of airlock chambers seemed fantastic and satisfied all needs. But now this is clearly not enough.
// dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
The reconstruction will cost $5 billion. This time, the US military is only building the Atlantic Gateways. On the Pacific side, work is being carried out by a consortium of European companies.
// dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
The main problem here is that from the Pacific Ocean, due to high tides, the load on the locks is enormous. And considering that the gate will have to be made even larger and higher than the previous ones, the task becomes not trivial. Therefore, there will be sliding gates similar to those currently operating in Antwerp. New locks are being built in parallel with the old ones, and they will work together. Due to this, it is planned to almost double the channel’s income.
// dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
And finally the last stage, on the way to the Pacific Ocean, the Miraflores lock. Here we were lowered from lake level to the level of the Pacific Ocean.
// dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
On the left side is the building for visitors to the Panama Canal. There were a huge number of people there. They shouted and welcomed us to Panama in unison. Before this, there was also a competition on the ship for the best welcome poster. And everyone who did something on the left side held them while passing by. I also wanted to make a wonderful drawing with a three-letter word, but I thought that there would be no time to greet the people with the word “peace” and take photographs at the same time. :-)
// dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
When releasing water, you no longer need to worry much about turbulence. So she just exits the portal on the left. Ahead is Panama City, and right in front of the ship’s bow is another drawbridge across the Panama Canal.
Panama City, Panama // dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
To be honest, the skyline of Panama City impressed me. I never expected to see such a modern city with skyscrapers. In some ways, this development is reminiscent of Dubai in terms of the variety of building shapes. Although, due to seismic activity, the houses are clearly not that high-rise.
Bridge of the Americas, Panama // dmytrocherkasov.livejournal.com
Before entering the Pacific Ocean, there is another bridge across the canal - the Bridge of the Americas. Behind it we can already see ships in the roadstead, waiting for their turn to pass along our path only in the other direction.
dmytrocherkasov
13/04/2013
Pages: 1
The Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Panama (Spanish: Golfo De Panama) of the Pacific Ocean, to this day is considered one of the greatest structures in the history of mankind. This channel is unique - one of the largest and unsurpassed in complexity construction projects, the importance of which in the global economy is difficult to overestimate.
The construction of the canal was an incredibly dramatic and lengthy process. Enormous sums of money and many thousands of human lives were spent on its construction. The Panama Canal had an invaluable influence on the development of world shipping. Thanks to the construction of this waterway, the sea route from New York to San Francisco, for example, was reduced from 23 thousand km to 10 thousand km.
The idea of uniting the oceans
The navigators were haunted by the peculiarity of the geographical location of 2 giant bodies of water - the Atlantic and Pacific oceans were separated only by a thin strip of land, the width of which at its narrowest point was only 50 km. Australian traders delivering their goods to England and Europe not only wanted to reduce travel time, but were also worried about the integrity of their cargo: the ominous (Spanish Cabo de Hornos) was famous for its disgusting weather conditions. However, to get from one ocean to another, ships had to go around the South American continent, making a detour of more than 20 thousand km, which took months. As trade expanded, seafarers increasingly needed a canal cutting through the narrow isthmus, which would allow ships to significantly shorten the journey.
However, this was an impossible task for humanity in the 16th century. But it was then that people began to seriously think about building a canal, and even began exploring the territories of the isthmus. The name of the Spanish merchant, navigator and conquistador (Spanish Vasco Nuñez de Balboa; ca. 1475 - 1517), who was the first European in the 16th century, went down in history. (September 29, 1513) crossed the Isthmus of Panama, reached the waters of the Pacific Ocean and founded a settlement on the shores of the Gulf of Darien (Spanish: Golfo del Darien; located in the southwestern part of the Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Panama).
In search of fabulous riches, he and his squad of fortune seekers walked through the jungle, reaching the northwestern coast Golden Castile(Spanish: Oro de Castilla; this is how the Spaniards called Central America and the Isthmus of Panama) and, climbing the mountain, saw the endless Pacific waters, which he called the South Sea. So, the Isthmus of Panama was included on geographical maps thanks to that very campaign, and the idea of uniting the two great oceans has since acquired concrete features.
Already in the 16th century, progressive people understood perfectly well that a canal was needed between the two oceans. It was at that time Alessandro Malaspina(Italian: Alessandro Malaspina; Italian navigator and geographer), having examined the Isthmus of Panama, proposed a unique project for the construction of the Panama Canal.
The Spanish monarch Philip II, a devout Catholic, was furious: “What was created on Earth by God, what he considered necessary to unite, we do not have the right to tear apart!» The king documented a ban on both the construction and development of such projects.
First construction of the Panama Canal
Documents that have survived to this day allow scientists to conclude: the construction of the Panama Canal, which began in 1879, turned into a terrible disaster - both for humanity and for the economy. “Tragic” construction at the end of the 19th century. led Ferdinand Lesseps(French Ferdinand Marie vicomte de Lesseps; 1805 - 1894), French diplomat and lawyer, leader and author of the project for the construction of the Suez Canal (connecting the Red and Mediterranean seas).
The well-known name of the construction manager served as a guarantee of the success of the undertaking. In the capital of France, the “General Company of the Interoceanic Canal” (French: “La Compagnie Universelle du canal interoceanic de Panama”; 1880-1889) was officially registered, the shares of which were extremely expensive, but were in unusually high demand - about 1 million of them were purchased . people who firmly believed in the success of grandiose construction.
After 9 years from the start of construction, when colossal sums were spent (more than $300 million), the work was not even ¹⁄3 completed. The calculations of the Lesseps project turned out to be fundamentally incorrect, which led to the bankruptcy of the company and to numerous casualties: more than 20 thousand workers died from epidemics of malaria and yellow fever. People ran away from the construction site as if from a place cursed by God. Accused of a gigantic financial scam, Ferdinand Lesseps was arrested. Although the brilliant architect made a lot of serious mistakes, most likely he did not plan to get rich in this way. Unable to withstand the cruel blow of fate, Lesseps lost his mind.
This incident will forever remain a dark spot in the history of mankind; since then, the largest economic frauds and financial “pyramids” have often been called “Panama.”
Second canal construction
But the Panama Canal was necessary for humanity, the US authorities understood this very well. After analyzing all the shortcomings of the previous project, they seriously thought about the cause of the epidemics. By the way, thanks to the new construction of the Panama Canal, a scientific discovery was made: the carrier of the causative agent of a terrible disease - yellow fever - is a mosquito. To destroy mosquitoes, entire forests in the construction zone were burned, grasses were mowed down, and swamps were drained. As a result, the mosquito population, which had been reduced to almost nothing, no longer threatened workers with malaria and yellow fever.
Further, a new project was developed in the shortest possible time J. Frank Stevens(eng. John Frank Stevens; American engineer, chief engineer of the construction of the Panama Canal in 1906-1908), who proposed using artificial lakes and special locks to regulate the water level in the canal.
New construction of the canal began in 1904, it lasted almost 10 years and cost the United States almost $400 million. And this grand enterprise cost the lives of almost 6 thousand workers. However, this time the colossal project was brought to life: on October 13, 1913, the owner of the White House pressed a special button, which led to a powerful explosion: 4 thousand km from the residence of Thomas Woodrow Wilson; 28th President of the United States in 1913-1921) more than 20 tons of dynamite destroyed the last bridge (located near the city of Gamboa) - finally, the waters of two titans, the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, were connected by water.
The official opening of the Panama Canal occurred on August 15, 1914. The first ship to pass through the canal from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean in just a few hours was the American steamer SS Ancon.
Regarding the history of the construction of the Panama Canal, it should be noted that the United States, which invested enormous amounts of money in the implementation of the project of the century, was well protected by making every effort to separate Panama from Colombia. For assistance in gaining independence, the country’s authorities gave the United States “very little” for eternal possession: the land, the bottom and the water space of the Panama Canal.
Modernity
Today, the Panama Canal belongs to Panama and plays an important role in maritime transport. Built 100 years ago, the lock structure meets the most modern requirements.
The average fee charged to a ship passing through the canal is about $13,000.
The length of the canal is relatively small - 81.6 km (of which 65.2 km runs on land, and 16.4 km - along the bottom of the Panama and Limon bays), the total width is 150 m, and the depth is 12 m. The construction includes 2 artificial lakes and 2 complex lock systems. Crossing the canal is not so easy due to the fact that the difference between the levels of the World Ocean and the Panama Canal is 26 m. A ship passes through the canal on average in 9 hours. 3 bridges rise above the canal, and a highway and a railway line run along the entire waterway road.
Cargo ships, ocean liners and luxury yachts travel along this waterway every day. About 15 thousand ships cross the canal annually, its throughput capacity is about 50 marine vessels per day. The record number of ships passing through the Panama Canal per day is 65. Moreover, the number of sea cargo transportation increases every year, and the gigantic structure is systematically improved and modified.
It is interesting that the journey from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean and back at the present time can be covered by any ship. Because today certain standards have been established in the world shipbuilding industry that exclude the construction of sea vessels whose dimensions do not allow them to cross the Panama Canal.
The number of ships wishing to sail through the canal is very large. It often happens that they wait more than a week for their turn. Any vessel, even a small yacht, does not have the right to move independently along the canal. It is pulled by special trains, nicknamed “mules” among sailors.
The construction of the Panama Canal was one of the largest and most complex construction projects undertaken by mankind. The Panama Canal had an invaluable influence on the development of shipping and the economy as a whole in the Western Hemisphere and throughout the Earth, which determined its extremely high geopolitical significance. Thanks to the Panama Canal, the sea route from New York to San Francisco was reduced from 22.5 thousand km to 9.5 thousand km.
The Panama Canal is a shipping canal connecting the Pacific Gulf of Panama with the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, located on the Isthmus of Panama in the state of Panama. Length - 81.6 km, including 65.2 km on land and 16.4 km along the bottom of the Panama and Limon bays (for the passage of ships to deep water).
The construction of the Panama Canal was one of the largest and most complex construction projects undertaken by mankind. The Panama Canal had an invaluable influence on the development of shipping and the economy as a whole in the Western Hemisphere and throughout the Earth, which determined its extremely high geopolitical significance. Thanks to the Panama Canal, the sea route from New York to San Francisco was reduced from 22.5 thousand km to 9.5 thousand km.
The canal allows vessels of all types to pass through, from private yachts to huge tankers and container ships. The maximum size of a ship that can transit the Panama Canal has become a de facto standard in shipbuilding, called Panamax.
Vessels are guided through the Panama Canal by the Panama Canal Pilot Service. The average time for a vessel to pass through the canal is 9 hours, the minimum is 4 hours 10 minutes. Maximum throughput is 48 vessels per day. Every year, about 17.5 thousand ships carrying more than 203 million tons of cargo pass through the canal structures. By 2002, more than 800 thousand vessels had already used the canal’s services.
The original plan to build a canal connecting the two oceans dates back to the 16th century, but King Philip II of Spain banned the consideration of such projects, since “what God has united, man cannot separate.” In the 1790s. The canal project was developed by Alessandro Malaspina, his team even surveyed the canal construction route.
However, the first attempt to build a shipping route on the Isthmus of Panama dates back only to 1879. Ferdinand Lesseps, under whose leadership the Suez Canal was dug, created the “General Company of the Interoceanic Canal” in France, the shares of which were purchased by more than 800 thousand people. By 1888, $300 million had been spent on the construction of the canal (almost 2 times more than expected), and only a third of the work had been completed. The reason was the wrong project (Ferdinand Lesseps insisted that the canal be dug at sea level) and, mainly, the inability to cope with the diseases - malaria and yellow fever - that decimated the workers. There is information that at least 20 thousand people died. The construction site became notorious - to the point that some groups of workers brought their own coffins with them from France. The state of affairs became no longer possible to hide - already because Lesseps needed new capital. The company went bankrupt, which led to the ruin of thousands of small shareholders. Further investigation revealed facts of massive corruption, bribery of officials and newspaper editors by the company. This adventure was called the Panama one, and the word “Panama” became synonymous with a scam, fraud on a grand scale.
The Spanish-American War of 1898 strengthened the US intention to build a canal on the Isthmus of Panama in order to increase influence in the Western Hemisphere. In 1901, the United States entered into the Hay-Pounsfoot Treaty with Great Britain, according to which the United States received the exclusive right to construct this canal. In 1903, the United States supported Panama's demand for separation from Colombia and, as compensation for this, received a zone from Panama for the construction of a canal.
Additionally, in 1900 in Havana, Walter Reed and James Carroll discovered that yellow fever was transmitted by mosquitoes and developed a method to eradicate yellow fever by killing mosquitoes. Remembering the failure of the first attempt to dig a canal, the Americans sent an entire army led by William Crawford Gorgas - 1,500 people - on a campaign against mosquitoes. The scale of this unprecedented operation is eloquently demonstrated by published data: it was necessary to cut down and burn 30 square kilometers of bushes and small trees, mow and burn grass over the same area, drain a million square yards (83.6 hectares) of swamps, dig 250 thousand feet (76. 2 km) of drainage ditches and restore 2 million feet (609.6 km) of old ditches, spray 150 thousand gallons (567.8 thousand liters) of oils that destroy mosquito larvae in breeding areas. As had happened shortly before in Havana, this bore fruit: yellow fever disappeared, cases of malaria fell, and a major obstacle was removed.
The US War Department began construction of the canal in 1904. John Frank Stevens became the canal's chief engineer. This time the right project was chosen: locks and lakes. Construction took 10 years, $400 million and 70 thousand workers, of whom 5,600 died during construction. The first ship sailed along the canal on August 15, 1914. The official opening of the canal took place only on June 12, 1920.
The Panama Canal was controlled by the United States until December 31, 1999, after which it was transferred to the Panamanian government.
Channel configuration
Due to the S-shape of the Isthmus of Panama, the Panama Canal is directed from the southeast (Pacific Ocean side) to the northwest (Atlantic Ocean). The canal consists of two artificial lakes connected by canals and deepened river beds, as well as two groups of locks. From the Atlantic Ocean, the three-chamber gateway “Gatun” connects Limon Bay with Lake Gatun. On the Pacific side, the two-chamber Miraflores lock and the single-chamber Pedro Miguel lock connect Panama Bay with the canal bed. The difference between the level of the World Ocean and the level of the Panama Canal is 25.9 meters. Additional water supply is provided by another reservoir - Lake Alajuela
All canal locks are double-threaded, which ensures the possibility of simultaneous oncoming traffic of ships along the canal. In practice, however, usually both lines of locks work to allow ships through in the same direction. Dimensions of the lock chambers: width 33.53 m, length 304.8 m, minimum depth 12.55 m. Each chamber holds 101 thousand m³ of water. Guidance of large ships through locks is provided by special small electric-powered railway locomotives called mules (after the mules that previously served as the main draft force for moving barges along rivers).
Along its length, the canal is crossed by three bridges. A road and a railway have been laid along the canal route between the cities of Panama and Colon.
Payments for channel passage
Canal tolls are officially collected by the Panama Canal Authority, a government agency of Panama. Duty rates are set depending on the type of vessel.
The amount of duty for container ships is calculated depending on their capacity, expressed in TEU (the volume of a standard 20-foot container). From May 1, 2006, the rate is $49 per TEU.
The amount of payment from other vessels is determined depending on their displacement. For 2006, the fee rate was $2.96 per ton up to 10 thousand tons, $2.90 for each of the subsequent 10 thousand tons and $2.85 for each subsequent ton.
The amount of dues for small vessels is calculated based on their length:
The future of the channel
On October 23, 2006, the results of the referendum on the expansion of the Panama Canal were summed up in Panama, which was supported by 79% of the population. The adoption of this plan was facilitated by the Chinese business structures that manage the channel. By 2014, it will be modernized and will be able to handle oil tankers with a displacement of more than 130 thousand tons, which will significantly reduce the time it takes to deliver Venezuelan oil to China. Just by this time, Venezuela promises to increase oil supplies to China to 1 million barrels per day.
During the reconstruction it is planned to carry out dredging work and build new, wider locks. As a result, by 2014-2015, supertankers with a displacement of up to 170 thousand tons will be able to pass through the Panama Canal. The maximum throughput of the canal will increase to 18.8 thousand vessels per year, cargo turnover - to 600 million PCUMS. The reconstruction will cost $5.25 billion. Thanks to it, Panama's budget is expected to receive $2.5 billion in annual revenue from the canal by 2015, and by 2025, revenue will increase to $4.3 billion.
The start of work on the construction of the third group of locks is scheduled for August 25, 2009. The Panama Canal Authority entrusted this work to the consortium GUPC (Grupo Unidos por el Canal), which won the construction tender on July 15, 2008, offering to carry out the necessary work for $3 billion 118 million and complete construction by mid-2014. The main member of this consortium is the Spanish company Sacyr Vallehermoso.
Interesting Facts
Before construction of the canal began, approximately 2 million gallons of kerosene were used to spray the marshes in the area of the future construction site to kill Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and malaria mosquitoes - carriers of yellow fever and malaria, respectively.
On the morning of October 13, 1913, US President Thomas Woodrow Wilson, in the presence of numerous high-ranking guests gathered at the White House, went to a special table and pressed a gilded button with a majestic gesture. And at the same instant, a powerful explosion shook the humid tropical air four thousand kilometers from Washington, on the Isthmus of Panama. Twenty thousand kilograms of dynamite destroyed the last barrier separating the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans near the city of Gamboa. A cable four thousand kilometers long, specially laid from a jumper at Gamboa to the White House, obediently carried out the will of the president. (
Humanity is trying in every possible way to reshape the Earth for itself, and in the most literal sense. It does this in order to make its life as easy as possible. Connect two oceans and separate two continents? If it brings benefits, then “no question.”
No sooner said than done. This is how the famous Panama Canal appeared, connecting two oceans and separating two continents.
Naturally, it did not appear by magic, and not in a couple of days. How, when and why it was built, read on (keep in mind there is a lot of information, but it is really interesting).
The Panama Canal is a water bridge between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It is located at the narrowest part of the Isthmus of Panama in Central America.
Panama Canal on the map
- Geographic coordinates of the central part (9.117934, -79.786942)
- The distance from the capital of Panama city... Panama is approximately 6 km. In fact, the Panama Canal is located in the southwestern part of the capital
- The nearest airport is Panama Pacifico (originally Aeropuerto Internacional Panama Pacifico) 5 kilometers southwest of the Pacific entrance to the canal
By connecting the oceans, the Panama Canal thereby separated two continents, North and South America. But let us note the extreme importance and benefit of this colossal structure for the entire world economy. The main purpose of the Panama Canal is to shorten intercontinental shipping routes.
General description of the design features of the channel
The canal uses a lock system with entry and exit gates. The locks function as water elevators: they lift ships from sea level (Pacific or Atlantic) to the level of Lake Gatun (26 meters above sea level). Then the ships pass along the Continental Divide and at the exit descend to ocean level, again using a lock.
Each lock bears the name of the city in which it was built: Gatun (on the Atlantic side) and Pedro Miguel and Miraflores (on the Pacific side).
The Panama Canal runs from the southeast, from the side of Limon Bay, which is part of the Caribbean Sea and, accordingly, the Atlantic Ocean, through the Gatun lock to the northwest to the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores locks and out into the Pacific Ocean.
The water used to raise and lower the ships at each lock comes from Lake Gatun under the influence of gravity. It enters the locks through a system of culverts that pass under the lock chambers from the side and central walls.
Lake Gatun is an artificial lake with an area of 430 square kilometers, formed as a result of the construction of the Gatun Dam. At one time it was the largest artificial reservoir in the world.
The narrowest part of the Panama Canal, the Culebra Cut, extends from the northern part of the Pedro Miguel Lock to the southern edge of Lake Gatun in Gamboa. This section of the path is approximately 13.7 kilometers long and is carved into the rocks and shale of the continental part of the Isthmus of Panama.
All channel gateways are double (one might say double-sided). Therefore, oncoming traffic of ships is possible along the canal, but, as a rule, both lock chambers allow ships to pass in the same direction. For the passage of ships, special railway tractors are used, which are nicknamed “mules”, by analogy with the animals that used to pull ships along rivers.
The standard transit time for a ship through the Panama Canal is usually 8-10 hours, but in case of emergency, the time can be significantly reduced. The fastest transit through the canal was made by the US Navy ship Pegasus, which transited the canal from Miraflores Lock to Gatun Lock in 2 hours 41 minutes in June 1979.
Ships from all over the world pass through the Panama Canal every day. Every year the canal is used by 13 to 18 thousand ships. The Panama Canal serves 144 shipping routes connecting 160 countries and approximately 1,700 ports in the world.
The canal operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, providing unconditional transit to ships from all countries of the world. At the end of 2010, the Panama Canal was closed to ships due to heavy rainfall and rising water levels. This is the first time such an event has occurred in 95 years.
About 10,000 people work in all services of the Panama Canal.
Some more numbers from the Panama Canal
The length of the Panama Canal is 77.1 kilometers. But the total length of the path from the deep waters of the Atlantic to the deep waters of the Pacific Ocean is 80 kilometers. Therefore, its length is often indicated plus/minus a couple of kilometers.
The total width in the area of the locks reaches 150 meters (meaning the width of the structural artificial part, excluding the width of artificial lakes).
The original Panama Canal
Initially, the channel parameters were as follows.
Dimensions of the locks: width 33.53 meters, length 304.8 meters. Depth 12.5 meters. The volume of water in the lock chamber is approximately 101,000 cubic meters.
The maximum size of a ship capable of crossing the Panama Canal was 32.3 meters wide and 294.1 meters long. The draft was no more than 12 meters and the height from the waterline to the highest point of the ship should not exceed 62.5 meters.
It is noteworthy that these dimensions became one of the shipbuilding standards, named “Panamax” (in the original Panamax) in honor of the canal.
Since progress does not stand still, and the volume of trade is increasing, at the end of 2006 a decision was made to expand the channel. Moreover, this decision was made by the people of the country in a referendum, where about 80% of the population was in favor of expansion. And again it took 9 whole years to complete the work. The work was carried out, and in 2016 the canal's capacity increased to 18,800 ships per year.
Modernizing the canal will increase cash receipts to the country's budget from 2.5 to 4.3 billion dollars.
What was included in the project?
The main feature of the modern Panama Canal is the increase in capacity and the ability to accommodate ships of even greater capacity. Shipyards already use the terms New Panamax or Post Panamax (in the original, New Panamax and Post Panamax, respectively), denoting a type of ship approximately one and a half times larger than the Panamax standard.
The airlock chambers have been significantly enlarged. They are now 427 meters (1,400 ft) long and 55 meters (180 ft) wide and 18.3 meters (60 ft) deep. They accommodate vessels up to 49 meters (160 ft) wide and up to 366 meters (1,200 ft) long with a maximum draft of 15 meters (50 ft) or carrying cargo up to 170,000 DWT and 12,000 TEU.
DWT is the total weight of the ship (measured in tons), including cargo, fuel and all ship stores.
TEU is the standard volume of a 20-foot sea container.
The design of the new locks includes the use of reinforced steel, which was not used in the construction of the previous Panama Canal. The construction of the new lock complexes required a total of 4.4 million cubic meters of concrete.
The gates used on the modern Panama Canal were built by subcontractor Cimolai SpA in Italy at seven different factories in northeastern Italy. Gates have different sizes depending on their location in the airlock chamber. All of them are 57.6 meters long, 8-10 meters wide, and the height depends on the location, ranging from 22.3 to 33.04 meters. Weight ranges from 2100 to 4200 tons.
They cost $547.7 million, including delivery. The total cost of the canal expansion work is estimated at $5.25 billion.
The first ceremonial passage of the Chinese super-container ship COSCO SHIPPING through the updated channel took place on June 26, 2016. This date is considered the actual commissioning of the modern Panama Canal.
COSCO SHIPPING PANAMA is the first ship to pass through the updated Panama Canal COSCO SHIPPING has a length of 300 meters and a width of 48 meters. The total tonnage is 93,702 tons.
But the photo below shows the 2000th passage through the canal of the New Panamax class vessel Cosco Yantian.
The vessel has a length of 351 meters and a beam of 43 meters, with a total TEU of 9,504.
Cosco Yantian - 2000th New Panamax class ship passing through the canal And this is the container ship Theodore Roosevelt, 365.9 meters long and 48.2 meters wide.
Theodore Roosevelt in the Panama Canal The first cruise ship to sail through the renovated Panama Canal is called the Disney Wonder.
Disney Wonder is the first cruise ship in the renovated Panama Canal History of the Panama Canal
In 1513, Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa became the first European to discover that the Isthmus of Panama is the narrowest point separating the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. But then there was no trace of the idea of a channel.
The first mention of a passage through the Isthmus of Panama dates back to 1534, when Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain, ordered the shortest route to be found between Spain and Peru. This route would have given the Spanish a military advantage over the Portuguese. Naturally, in those days there was neither knowledge nor technology for such construction. Therefore, the idea remained an idea.
During an expedition from 1788 to 1793, Italian explorer Alessandro Malaspina was already developing plans for a canal. But it didn’t get to the point of construction.
The first attempt at real construction was made by the French in 1879. Such famous people as Ferdinand de Lesseps (under his leadership the equally famous Suez Canal was built) and Alexander Gustave Eiffel (he created the modern symbol of Paris in particular and France in general) took part in the development.
The Panama Canal, like the Suez Canal, was planned to be built at sea level. That is, the gateway system was not considered at all. This, and a number of other factors, ultimately led to the failure of the entire project.
So, we managed to extract money from the French government, and work even began. But a little later it turned out that only a third of the money was actually spent on construction. The rest went to bribes or were stolen. Malaria and fever killed workers en masse. According to some data, approximately 22,000 (!!!) people died from diseases (mostly) and accidents.
As a result of a series of financial scandals, the construction company went bankrupt. Lesseps himself and Eiffel were accused of fraud and embezzlement. Ferdinand Lesseps, unable to withstand pressure from all sides, died in 1894 without completing the construction of his second great canal. The work was frozen. The scandals surrounding the Panama Canal were so large that at that time the word “Panama” became synonymous with large-scale corruption and fraud.
At the same time, the United States was considering the possibility of building an interoceanic canal through Nicaragua.
For almost the entire 19th century, two canal options were considered, the Nicaraguan and Panama canals. But in the end the decision was made in favor of the latter.
How to appropriate the Panama Canal
The situation developed in such a way that the United States at that time was more interested in the Nicaraguan version of the canal, and formally they did not need the Panama one.
The French could no longer continue construction. The Panama Canal has become for them the notorious “suitcase without a handle,” and it’s hard to carry and it’s a shame to throw it away.
This is where the United States comes into the big game. They are promoting the idea of the Nicaraguan Canal in every possible way, thereby reducing the value of the Panama Canal. In the end, the Americans buy the rights and virtually everything related to the channel from France for $40 million. According to the current agreement with Colombia, which then owned the state of Panama, all equipment and all work carried out, including the canal, became the property of the country if the canal did not start working before 1904. And, of course, he couldn’t make any money. The only way to take possession of the canal was the separation of Panama from Colombia. This would suit both France and the USA. France gets the money, the US gets the channel, and Colombia gets the donut hole.
The decision as ancient as the world “divide and conquer” was made. The Americans saw a lack of democracy and oppression of human rights in the state of Panama (at that time still belonging to Colombia). The US fleet immediately arrived in the coastal waters, and crowds of civic activists took to the streets of Panamanian cities, who suddenly suddenly wanted freedom and lace pantaloons.
Wow! On November 4, 1903, a new “independent” state appeared on the world map, which was directly called the “Independent Republic of Panama.” Just 2 weeks later, Panama “independently” signs an agreement with the United States, according to which virtually all rights to the canal and adjacent territories are transferred to the Americans.
Construction continued under the leadership of the American Department of Defense, and Panama de facto became a protectorate of the United States. By the way, disputes on this issue with Colombia were resolved only by 1921.
Completion of the Panama Canal
It must be said that the Americans approached the issue of building the canal with their characteristic enthusiasm and pragmatism. To begin with, they secured the surrounding area as much as possible, cut down and burned more than 30 km2 of thickets, drained about a hundred hectares of swamps, and dug approximately 80 kilometers of drainage ditches. The icing on the cake was the spraying of about 600 thousand liters of special liquids that killed mosquitoes, mosquitoes and their larvae in the places of their greatest accumulation and reproduction. As a result of these actions, malaria and fever subsided, and construction work resumed in 1904.
The idea of a lock-free canal was abandoned and they decided to use a system of artificial lakes and locks. That is why it was possible to significantly reduce the excavation work and speed up the entire construction process. The work lasted for 9 years. The final stage was the ceremonial undermining of the last barrier in the area of the city of Gamboa. On October 10, 1913, Thomas Woodrow Wilson (then US President) carried out this explosion using a telegraph directly from Washington, pressing a symbolic button in the presence of members of the government. The construction of the canal has officially been completed.
The first ship, the Cristobal, passed through the Panama Canal on August 3, 1914. The canal was officially opened on August 15, 1914, with the passage of the ship SS Ancon.
Unfortunately, during the construction of the canal by the Americans, casualties could not be avoided. For various reasons, 5,609 people died.
Who owns the Panama Canal
As you already know, Panama has transferred all powers over the canal to the United States. To strengthen the canal's defenses, the United States even purchased several nearby islands from Nicaragua, Denmark and Colombia.
But later, various tensions began to arise regarding the channel between the Panamanian and US authorities. There were even recorded uprisings in this small country demanding control of the canal be given to Panama. Despite the fact that many politicians in the United States were against it, on September 7, 1977, in the capital of the United States, the leaders of the two countries entered into an agreement to transfer control of the canal to the government of Panama starting in 2000. This decision was ratified by the American Congress, and now the Panama Canal belongs to the country in which it was built.
Cost of passage through the channel
Naturally, a fee is charged for the passage of a vessel through the Panama Canal, which depends on the size of the ship, its cargo, displacement and a number of other factors.
The rate for transporting cargo by large container ships is $49 per 1 TEU. Plus, there is a bet on the passage of the ship itself.
Payment for passage also depends on the length of the vessel and starts from $500. This is for vessels up to 50 feet (just over 15 meters) in length. Vessels up to 100 feet in length (approximately 30.5 meters) are available for $2,000. For ships over 100 feet in length, rates start at $2,500.
There is also a rate for each ton of ship displacement. It starts at $2.95 and goes down slightly for larger ships.
We will not describe in detail all the prices for the passage of ships from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, since it depends on many factors. In addition, all cost information is available on the official website of the Panama Canal https://www.pancanal.com. Let's just say that sometimes the amount reaches $500,000 for one huge container ship.
The record holder for the cheapest passage on the canal was Richard Halliburton in 1928. It only cost him 36 cents.
Today, the Panama Canal is not only a valuable interoceanic corridor and an engineering marvel, but also a popular tourist attraction. In the cities adjacent to the locks there are museums dedicated to the history of the canal and observation decks from which you can watch its titanic work.
- Over its lifetime, the Panama Canal has helped reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 650 million tons. The canal expansion will reduce emissions by another 160 million tons over the next 10 years. This occurs due to the reduction in the length of sea routes, and, accordingly, the negative impact of sea vessels on the environment
- American spending from 1904 to 1914 amounted to US$375,000,000. This is the largest amount spent by the United States government on any project to date. Total expenditures by France and America amounted to US$639,000,000
- During construction, more than 130 million cubic meters of soil were excavated (23 million of them were dug by the French at the very beginning)
- It is estimated that more than 80,000 people were involved in construction, with many of the workers coming from India. About 28,000 people died during the work
- The Panama Canal was visited by many film and television stars. In particular Aerosmith, Usher and Sean Connery
- On September 4, 2010, Fortune Plum became the millionth ship to pass through the Panama Canal.
- The canal shortened the sea route from New York to Los Angeles by almost 2.5 times, from 22,000 to 9,000 km
- In the summer of 2014, the final route of the Nicaraguan Canal was developed, which should become a competitor to the Panama Canal, but construction is still only in the draft