THE EXPANDED PANAMA CANAL
The Panama Canal is now even bigger than before. A $5 billion-dollar expansion added a new lane and room for the world’s largest ships, allowing for nearly double the amount of traffic.
For much of the past century the shipping industry has built ships to fit through the Panama Canal, often referred to as the 8th wonder of the world. Mostly oil tankers, they’re called Panamax ships. However, by the 1990s, the size of the canal was becoming outdated as ships grew bigger and bigger. Many were far too large to enter the canal, resulting in a significant loss of market share to the Suez Canal. And so, to avoid the risk of the canal becoming obsolete, the Panama Canal Authority began work on an expansion project in 2007. A national referendum to ratify the plan was approved by a 76.8 percent majority.
The larger canal, which began operations in June 2016 (after being more than two years behind schedule and $1 billion over budget), added an entire new lane of traffic, doubling the capacity of the canal. It took roughly 40,000 workers nearly 10 years to complete the massive infrastructure project, which rivals the statistics of the original canal build that took place a century before. Enough earth was dredged to fill the Great Pyramid at Giza 25 times over and there was enough steel used that they could have built 29 Eiffel Towers.
Cruise ship passing through Gatun Locks.
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Parallel to the old locks, two new locks were built: one east of the existing Gatún locks, and one southwest of the Miraflores locks. These new locks are wider, at 54.8 meters (180ft) versus 33.5 meters (110ft), and deeper, at 18 meters (60ft) versus 12.8 meters (42ft), allowing larger ships to transit. These are called New Panamax and are about one and a half times the previous limit, with the ability to carry twice as much cargo. As the canal was expected to hit capacity between 2012 and 2014, the expansion was designed to allow for an anticipated growth in traffic from 280 million PC/UMS tons in 2005 to nearly 510 million PC/UMS tons in 2025. The total cost of the project is estimated to have been $5.25 billion. As a result of the increase in traffic, ports around the world – from the east coast of the US to the UK and Brazil – expanded their capabilities in preparation for the new, larger ships.
Transiting the canal
While many are content to watch these colossal New Panamax ships pass through the canal at the Miraflores Locks, a quick jaunt from Panama City, many choose to transit the canal. Moving from the Atlantic to the Pacific Coast and vice versa, it takes between 6 and 8 hours to transit the entire canal, passing through all three locks: Miraflores, Pedro Miguel, and Gatún. While many passengers traverse the canals on cruise ship itineraries, partial tours of the canal are an alternative for visitors in the country. As transiting each lock can take upward of two hours, it grows tiresome for the full journey, so many tours simply offer excursions passing through the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores locks, followed by sailing under the Bridge of the Americas and into the Pacific Ocean. The 300-passenger Pacific Queen runs frequent trips from Gamboa to the Pacific via Panama Marine Adventures (www.pmatours.net), while the 100-person wooden Isla Morada and 500 passenger steel Fantasía del Mar run between the Flamenco Marina and Gamboa or Gatún.
The most developed island is Contadura, which has dozens of small hotels and B&Bs. The island has gained a reputation for its celebrity guests, which include models, fashion designers and even the former Shah of Iran, who have built luxe mansions here. Contadura boasts 13 beaches like the popular Playa Galeón and Playa Ejecutiva on a quiet cove.
The Panama Canal
Extending 77km (50 miles) from the Port of Colón on the Caribbean Sea to the Port of Balboa near Panama City, the Panama Canal 4 [map] is the world’s most strategic waterway. More than 14,000 vessels pass through it annually, representing around 5 percent of global trade. Considered one of mankind’s grandest feats of engineering, the canal is without a doubt Panama’s major attraction.
Aside from sailing through the canal, as many cruise passengers do, the easiest way to see the canal in action is at the Miraflores Locks, a 20-minute drive from Panama City. The Miraflores Visitors Center (www.visitcanaldepanama.com; daily 8am–5pm) overlooks the locks from four levels, each with different exhibitions and interactive displays, including a 3D movie theater with films detailing the history of the canal. The best time to visit is around 11am or around 3pm, when enormous Panamax ships can be seen rising and falling as they traverse the locks. Crowds gather on the observation decks as an announcer details information about the ship, such as where it is registered and where it is going.
Overlooking Gatún Lake and the Atlantic-side locks closer to Colón, which were built during the expansion of the canal, the Aguas Claras Visitor Center (daily 8am–3pm) is less formal than its Miraflores counterpart. There is no site museum and just a small theater, but most come here simply for the view of the ships passing through.
Elsewhere in the Canal Zone
Along the edge of the eastern side of the Panama Canal is one of Panama’s most astounding natural areas, the 19,425 hectares (48,000 acres) of Parque Nacional Soberanía 5 [map] (daily 8.30am–4.30pm). Just 40 minutes from the city, Soberanía is one of the most accessible natural areas in Central America and it’s been extremely well preserved. More than 100 species of mammals have been identified here, including jaguars, sloths, and monkeys, not to mention more than 500 species of birds. From the park ranger station there are several trails into the park of varying levels of difficulty. Closer to Gamboa is the renowned bird-watching spot, Pipeline Road.