History and facts (14 photos). Panama Canal. Everything you need to know about this engineering marvel and how to visit it Show on the map where the Panama Canal is located

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 14 thousand ships carrying about 280 million tons of cargo pass through the canal structures. (5% of global ocean freight). The canal is overloaded, so the queue to pass through it is sold at auction. The total fee for a vessel's passage through the canal can reach $400,000. By 2002, more than 800 thousand vessels had already used the canal’s services.

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  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.

  With the growth of international trade, interest in the canal revived by the early 19th century; in 1814, Spain passed a law establishing an interoceanic canal; in 1825, a similar decision was made by the Congress of Central American States. The discovery of gold deposits in California caused increased interest in the canal problem in the United States, and in 1848, under the Hayes Treaty, the United States received a monopoly in Nicaragua for the construction of all types of interoceanic communication routes. Great Britain, whose possessions adjoined Nicaragua, hastened to curb the expansion of the United States by concluding with them on April 18, 1850 the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty on a joint guarantee of the neutrality and security of the future interoceanic canal. Throughout the 19th century, two main options for directing the canal were considered: through Nicaragua (see Nicaraguan Canal) and through Panama.

  However, the first attempt to build a shipping route on the Isthmus of Panama dates back only to 1879. The initiative in developing the Panama option was intercepted by the French. At that time, the attention of the United States was mainly attracted to the Nicaraguan variant. In 1879, in Paris, under the chairmanship of the head of the construction of the Suez Canal, Ferdinand Lesseps, the “General Interoceanic Canal Company” was created, the shares of which were purchased by more than 800 thousand people; the company bought from the engineer Wise for 10 million francs the concession for the construction of the Panama Canal, which he received from the Colombian government. in 1878. An international congress convened before the formation of the Panama Canal Company favored a sea-level canal; the cost of the work was planned at 658 million francs and the volume of earthworks was envisaged at 157 million cubic meters. yards In 1887, the idea of ​​a lockless canal had to be abandoned in order to reduce the amount of work, since the company’s funds (1.5 billion francs) were spent mainly on bribing newspapers and members of parliament; only a third was spent on work. As a result, the company stopped making payments on December 14, 1888, and work was soon stopped.

  The Panama scandal was clear evidence of the decomposition of the political and business elites of the French Third Republic and revealed the scale of corruption among the press. "Panama" has since become a household name for a major public bribery scam. The company went bankrupt, which led to the ruin of thousands of small shareholders. This adventure was called the Panama one, and the word “Panama” became synonymous with a scam, fraud on a grand scale. The court-appointed liquidator of the Panama Canal Company created the new Panama Canal Company in 1894, doomed from the very beginning due to financial difficulties and the disrepute of the project.

  Under the Treaty of 1903, the United States received in perpetual possession "a zone of land and lands under water for the construction, maintenance, operation, sanitary order and protection of the said canal," as provided for in Article 2 of the Treaty. Article 3 gave the United States all rights as if it were the sovereign of the territory. In addition, the United States became the guarantor of the independence of the Republic of Panama and received the right to maintain order in the cities of Panama and Colon in the event that the Republic of Panama, in the opinion of the United States, would be unable to maintain order on its own. The economic side of the Treaty repeated the Hay-Herran Treaty, which was not ratified by Colombia. On behalf of Panama, the agreement was signed by French citizen Philippe Bunau-Varia 2 hours before the official delegation of Panama arrived in Washington.

  Construction began under the auspices of the US Department of Defense, and Panama effectively became a US protectorate.

  In August 1945, Japan planned to bomb the canal.

  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 Ocean 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 vessels through locks is provided by special small electric-powered railway locomotives called mules(in honor of mules, which previously served as the main draft force for moving barges along rivers).

  The canal administration has established the following passage dimensions for vessels: length - 294.1 m (965 ft), width - 32.3 m (106 ft), draft - 12 m (39.5 ft) in fresh tropical water, height - 57, 91 m (190 ft), measured from the waterline to the highest point of the vessel. In exceptional cases, vessels may be granted permission to pass at a height of 62.5 m (205 ft), provided that the passage is in low water.

  Along its length, the canal is crossed by two bridges. Along the canal route between the cities of Panama and Colon there is a road and a railway.

  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 fees 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. According to the plan, by 2016 the canal was to be modernized and would be able to accommodate oil tankers with a displacement of more than 130 thousand tons, which would significantly reduce the time it takes to deliver Venezuelan oil to China. Just at this time, Venezuela promised to increase oil supplies to China to 1 million

  Construction was started by the French in the 19th century, but they were never able to complete the project due to various problems. The American government took over the project in 1904 and completed it a decade later, making history. The canal is now managed by the Panamanian government. The Panama Canal not only benefits traders by facilitating the transit of goods, but is also important from a tourism perspective. Canal cruises are very popular and if you are planning to visit this area then don't miss the chance to travel along the canal on a cruise ship. During this trip you will be able to explore the many exotic attractions of Panama. Travel agencies will offer you hundreds of different cruise packages, including a number of popular ports such as New York, Miami, Los Angeles, New Orleans, etc. This tour will allow you to see some of the most beautiful beaches in the world and visit exotic Panama City.

  History of the Channel
  In fact, the history of the canal goes back much deeper - to the 16th century. In 1513, Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa became the first European to notice the extremely thin Isthmus of Panama separating the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Balboa's discovery sparked the search for a natural waterway linking the two oceans. In 1534, after no natural route was found, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V ordered an investigation into the possibility of constructing a canal. Inspectors ultimately decided that construction of a shipping canal in these areas was not possible.

  Start of construction
  An interesting fact in the history of the Panama Canal is another construction attempt undertaken by the designer of the Suez Canal. No serious construction attempts were made until the 1880s. In 1881, the French company of Ferdinand de Lesseps, designer of the Suez Canal in Egypt, began digging a canal through Panama. The project was plagued by poor planning, technical problems and tropical diseases that killed thousands of workers. De Lessep intended to build a canal at sea level, in the image of Suez, without any locks. But the excavation process turned out to be much more difficult than expected. Gustave Eiffel, who designed the famous tower in Paris, was hired to create the locks, but De Lessep's company went bankrupt in 1889. At the time, the French had unprofitably invested more than $260 million in the construction, excavating more than 70 million cubic meters of earth. The collapse of the enterprise caused a big scandal in France. De Lessep and his son Charles, along with Eiffel and several other company executives, were accused of embezzlement, mismanagement and fraud. In 1893 they were found guilty, sentenced to prison and fined. After the scandal, Eiffel retired from business and devoted himself to scientific research. A new French company was created to take over the assets of the failed business and continue the channel, but it soon followed the same path. During the 1800s, the United States was also interested in building a canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. For both economic and military reasons, they considered Nicaragua a more advantageous location than Panama. However, this plan was abandoned thanks to the efforts of Philippe-Jean Bounau-Varilla, a French engineer who was involved in both French canal projects. In the late 1890s, Buno-Varilla began lobbying American legislators to purchase French canal assets in Panama, and eventually convinced many that Nicaragua had dangerous volcanoes and Panama was a less dangerous option.
  In 1902, Congress authorized the purchase of French assets of the Panama Canal. But Colombia, of which Panama was a part at the time, refused to ratify the agreement. With the support of Buno-Varilla and the tacit approval of President Theodore Roosevelt, Panama rebelled against Colombia and declared independence. After this, US Secretary of State John Hay and Buno-Varilla, as representative of the provisional government of Panama, agreed on the Hay-Buno-Varilla Agreement, which gave America the right to an area greater than 500 square miles in which a canal could be built. According to the agreement, the channel was completely transferred to the control of the Americans. It was agreed that the United States would shell out approximately $375 million for construction, including a $10 million payment to Panama, and $40 million to buy out French assets. A century after the United States completed the Panama Canal, shipping connections through Nicaragua still remain possible: In 2013, a Chinese company announced a $40 billion agreement with the Nicaraguan government for the right to build such a waterway.

  Death of workers
  More than 25,000 workers officially died during the construction of the Panama Canal. The canal's builders faced many obstacles, including difficult terrain, hot, humid weather, heavy rain, and rampant tropical diseases. Earlier French efforts resulted in the death of more than 20,000 workers, and American efforts fared little better—between 1904 and 1913, about 5,600 workers died due to illnesses or accidents.
  Many of these earlier deaths were caused by yellow fever and malaria. According to doctors of the time, these diseases were caused by polluted air and poor conditions. By the early 20th century, however, medical experts had uncovered the key role mosquitoes played in transmitting these diseases, allowing them to significantly reduce the number of worker deaths. Special sanitary measures were carried out, which included draining swamps and ponds, removing possible insect breeding grounds, and installing protective screens on windows in buildings.

  Capacity of the Panama Canal

  Between 13,000 and 14,000 ships use the canal every year.
  American ships use the canal the most, pursued by China, Chile, Japan, Colombia and South Korea. Each ship transiting through the canal must pay a fee based on its size and cargo volume. The fee for the largest vessels can reach approximately $450,000. The smallest toll ever paid was 36 cents, paid in 1928 by American adventurer Richard Halliburton, who conquered the canal. Today, approximately $1.8 billion in tariffs are collected annually. On average, a ship takes 8 to 10 hours to pass through the canal. Moving through it, a system of locks lifts each vessel 85 feet above sea level. Ship captains are not allowed to take control during transit; instead, specially trained personnel take over control. In 2010, the millionth ship crossed the canal since its opening.

  Who controls the Panama Canal?
  The United States transferred control of the canal to Panama in 1999. In the years following the canal's opening, relations between America and Panama became tense. Questions arose about control over the canal itself and the area adjacent to it. In 1964, Panamanians rioted because they were not allowed to fly the Panamanian national flag next to the US flag in the canal zone. Following the uprising, Panama temporarily broke off diplomatic relations with the United States. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter and General Omar Torrijos signed agreements transferring control of the canal to Panama as of 1999, but giving the United States the right to use a force to defend the waterway from any threat to its neutrality. Despite the discontent of many politicians who did not want their country to lose its authority over the canal, the US Senate ratified the Torrijos-Carter Accords in 1978. Control was transferred peacefully to Panama in December 1999.

  Expansion of the Panama Canal
  The canal is currently being expanded to accommodate modern mega-ships. Work on the expansion began in 2007 at a cost of $5.25 billion, which will allow the canal to accommodate post-Panamax vessels. These vessels are larger than the so-called Panamaxes, which are built to fit the dimensions of the canal. The expanded canal will be able to accommodate cargo ships carrying 14,000 20-foot containers, nearly three times its current volume. The expansion project will be completed at the end of 2015, but the canal will still not be able to accommodate some of the world's largest container ships.

  Interesting fact
  Approximately 236.4 million liters of fresh water are used for the passage of one ship through the Panama Canal. The water comes from Lake Gatun, formed during the construction of the canal by damming the Chagres River. With an area of ​​262 square kilometers, Gatun was once the largest artificial lake in the world.

  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 world, which led to 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 narrow isthmus connecting North and South America has been considered a very promising place for creating the shortest route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans since the 16th century. In the 19th century, the development of technology and the need for such a route reached a point where the plan to create a canal through Panama seemed quite feasible.

  In the 19th century, the development of technology and the need for such a route reached a point where the plan to create a canal through Panama seemed quite feasible.

  
  1910 Map of the planned canal.

  Inspired by the 10-year construction of the Suez Canal, the international company La Société Internationale du Canal Interocéanique in 1879 bought from the engineer Wise for 10 million francs the concession for the construction of the Panama Canal, which he received from the Colombian government, which controlled Panama at that time.

  Fundraising for large-scale construction was led by Ferdinand Lesseps. Success with the Suez Canal helped him raise millions for the new project.

  Soon after the canal design began, it became clear that this endeavor would be much more difficult to implement than digging a canal at sea level through a sandy desert. After all, the proposed route, 65 kilometers long, passed through rocky and sometimes mountainous terrain, while it was crossed by powerful rivers. And, most importantly, tropical diseases posed enormous health risks to workers.

  However, Lesseps' optimistic plan envisaged the construction of a canal costing $120 million in just 6 years. The 40,000-strong team, almost entirely consisting of workers from the West Indies, was headed by engineers from France.

  
  1885 French Panama Canal employees pose for a photograph.

  Construction began in 1881.

  
  1885 The workers came to receive their wages.

  The Suez experience was of little help. It would probably be better in the long run if they didn't have the Suez Canal in their past.
  David McCullough, "The Way Between the Seas"

  
  1885 Jamaican workers push a cart loaded with dirt along a narrow gauge railway.

  The project turned out to be a disaster. It quickly became apparent that building a canal at sea level was impossible and that the only workable plan was to build a chain of locks. At the same time, Lesseps stubbornly adhered to the plan to build a single-level canal.

  
  1900 Workers carry out excavation work manually.

  Meanwhile, workers and engineers died from malaria, yellow fever and dysentery, and construction was interrupted by frequent floods and landslides. By the time the gateway plan was adopted, it was already too late. An estimated 22,000 workers died. Construction was years behind schedule and cost hundreds of millions over budget.

  
  1910 Abandoned French equipment in the canal zone.

  The company went bankrupt and collapsed, destroying the hopes of 800 thousand investors. In 1893, Lesseps was found guilty of fraud and mismanagement and died in disgrace two years later.

  
  1906 A man stands next to an abandoned French dredger.

  In 1903, with the secret support of the United States, Panama seceded from Colombia and in return awarded the US rights to the canal. The following year, the United States acquired the remains of the French company and continued construction.

  
  1906 President Theodore Roosevelt sits in the cab of a crane during a visit to the canal construction site.

  I took the canal zone and let Congress debate; and while the debate continues, the channel does the same.
  Theodore Roosevelt

  
  1908 American engineers sent by President Roosevelt.

  Faced with the same disease problem as the French, the Americans embarked on an aggressive mosquito eradication campaign. (The link between malaria and mosquitoes was still a very new theory back then.) This sharply reduced the incidence of illness and increased productivity.

  
  1910 Mosquito exterminator at work in the canal area.

  The channel of the Chagres River was blocked by the Gatun Dam, creating Lake Gatun, the largest artificial lake of those times. It stretches across half of a narrow isthmus.

  
  January 1907. Earthworks at the site of the Gatun lock.

  Massive locks were built at both ends of the canal on the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. These 33-meter-wide structures allowed ships to pass through a series of chambers with controlled water levels, rising to the height of Gatun Lake and the canal, 26 meters above sea level.

  
  1910

  The most difficult was the passage of the 13-kilometer section of Culebra through the mountain range, 64 meters high. 27 thousand tons of dynamite were used to blow up almost 80 million cubic meters of earth removed by steam shovels and trains.

  
  1907 A dredge removes soil after a landslide in Culebra.

  Due to an incorrect assessment of the composition of geological strata, excavation work was constantly subject to unpredictable landslides, the consequences of which sometimes took several months to combat.

  
  1910 A railway that has been displaced after a landslide.
  
  
  April 8, 1910. A man stands on the west bank next to the Pedro Miguel Lock under construction.
  
  
  November 1910. President William Howard Taft (left) visiting Gatun Lock with Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes (seated right) and Chief Engineer Colonel George Goethals (standing right).
  
  
  November 10, 1912. Construction of the Miraflores lock.
  
  
  August 1912. A man is standing in one of the locks.
  
  
  June 1912. View of the construction of the Culebra section from the western shore.
  
  
  August 6, 1912.
  
  
  November 1912. View from the top of Gatun Lock looking north towards the Atlantic Ocean.
  
  
  June 1913. One of the deepest points of the Culebra segment.
  
  
  1913
  
  
  1913
  
  
  1913
  
  
  November 1913. Workers are struggling with the consequences of a landslide.
  
  
  1913 Workers take a break at the top of the lock.
  
  
  1913 The train and the crane crossed paths at the Pedro Miguel lock.
  
  
  1913 Gateway during construction.
  
  
  1913 Engineers stand in front of the canal's massive sluice gates.
  
  
  August 8, 1913. Construction of the Gatun Lock between the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Gatun.
  
  
  February 1, 1914. Men watch a dredge work to clean up the aftermath of a landslide in Cucarache.
  
  
  1913 The spillway of the Gatun Dam, which separates the artificial Gatun Lake, the main part of the canal.

  On December 10, 1913, a passable water route between the two oceans was finally created. On January 7, 1914, the French floating crane Alexandre La Valley made its first passage through the canal.

  
  October 9, 1913. An explosion near the city of Gamboa opens the way for the canal to the Pacific Ocean.
  
  
  1913 The explosion of the dam that separated the canal from the Atlantic Ocean.

  Today, 4% of all world trade passes through the Panama Canal, about 15 thousand ships a year. Plans are underway to build an additional set of wide locks, as well as a competing channel through Nicaragua.

  The largest fee for passage through the canal is 142 thousand for a cruise ship. The smallest fee was $0.36 for adventurer Richard Halliburton, who swam across the canal through the locks in 1928.

  
  1913
  
  
  1914
  
  
  October 1913. The Miraflores Lock gate opens for inspection.
  
  
  September 26, 1913. Tug U.S. Gaton is the first to pass through the Gatun lock.
  
  
  April 29, 1915. S.S. Kronland passes through the Panama Canal.
  

  This waterway divides the state of Panama into 2 parts. It is of great importance for maritime navigation, as it shortens the sea route from one ocean to another by thousands of kilometers.

  The length of this man-made creation is 81.6 km. Across the Isthmus of Panama the distance is 65.2 km. But in order for sea vessels with high draft to freely enter the canal, it was also necessary to deepen the Panama and Limon bays. They account for 16.4 km.

  The building is a gateway. Locks were built to reduce the amount of excavation work. They are located along the edges of the waterway and lift ships to a height of 26 meters above sea level. Their width is 33.5 meters.

  About 15 thousand ships cross the Panamanian waterway every year. In total, since 1914 there have been more than 815 thousand of them. For example, in 2008 there were 14,705 ships. They transported 309 million tons of cargo. The capacity is 49 marine vehicles per day. The waterway from the Atlantic to the Great Ocean can be navigated by a vessel of any size. Currently, there are standards in global shipbuilding. They do not provide for the construction of sea ships, which due to their dimensions will not be able to overcome the watery part of the Isthmus of Panama.

  Construction of the grandiose structure began in 1904 and ended in 1914. 375 million dollars were spent. At the current exchange rate this amounts to 8 billion 600 million dollars. The project is considered one of the largest in the entire history of civilization. The official opening of the waterway took place on August 15, 1914. The first ship to travel from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean in just a few hours was called the Ancona. Its displacement was 9.5 thousand tons.

  

  Thanks to the Panama Canal, the sea route from one ocean to another has been significantly reduced

  History of the Panama Canal

  Europeans began to dream about a short route from one ocean to another in the first half of the 16th century. But only at the end of the 18th century did the first plans for a great construction appear. The situation began to become more specific after 1849, when huge reserves of gold were discovered in California. A shortened path from ocean to ocean has become a vital necessity.

  Therefore, from 1850 to 1855, a railway was built across the Isthmus of Panama. But, of course, it did not solve the problem of huge cargo transportation. It was the waterway that was seen as the ideal solution.

  In 1877, French engineers surveyed the proposed route and published their design. The authority of the French was extremely high after the construction of the Suez Canal, which connected the Mediterranean with the Indian Ocean. And the Americans had their own project, which involved the construction of the Nicaraguan Canal across the San Juan River and Lake Nicaragua.

  First construction of the canal

  However, the French turned out to be more energetic and purposeful. In 1879 they organized an interoceanic company, headed by Ferdinand Lesseps. It was he who supervised the construction of the Suez Canal 10 years ago and coped with this task brilliantly. The concession for construction work was purchased from the Colombian government, and Lesseps began to deal with organizational issues according to an already established scheme.

  To cover future dividends, shares were issued under the guarantee of France and Colombia. The profit promised to be big, so people eagerly bought securities. Many people invested all their savings in them, counting on solid profits in the near future.

  However, Lesseps turned the hundreds of millions of francs obtained in this way into dust. Work began on January 1, 1881 on a project that did not include the construction of locks. The project did not take into account many geological and hydrological features of the region. The builders constantly ran into mountains and hills that needed to be leveled and deepened to the level of the world's oceans. But this presented a difficult problem, as landslides interfered.

  The existing equipment quickly rusted in the tropical climate and failed. But the workers themselves suffered the most. Mosquitoes living in the Panamanian jungle were carriers of yellow fever and malaria. This led to illness and death. A total of 22 thousand people died, which at that time was comparable to losses during the war.

  In 1889, the company declared itself bankrupt, and all work on the construction of the Panama Canal was stopped. A terrible scandal broke out. About 1 million people who invested money in the project were deceived. An investigation began, and then trials. Lesseps, as the main culprit, received 5 years in prison. But soon the poor fellow was transferred to a psychiatric hospital, as he began to talk and behave inappropriately. Apparently the indelible shame had a depressing effect on his psyche.

  In 1894, on the initiative of the French government, another company was created, which took over the implementation of the project. But it all ended with the company’s management starting to look for buyers for the existing assets. These included preserved excavations and equipment.

  

  Panama Canal on the map

  Second canal construction

  In 1903, Panama declared itself independent from Colombia. In this she was fully supported by the United States. In the same year, the United States received land in the area of ​​the unfinished canal for perpetual use. In 1904, the Americans bought equipment and excavations from the French. In May of the same year, US President Theodore Roosevelt appointed an American engineer and administrator to lead the construction John Findlay Wallace. But he resigned a year later, saying that he could not cope with the construction.

  His place was taken John Frank Stevens, who at one time built the Great Northern Railway. It was he who put forward the idea of ​​gateways, which was much cheaper compared to digging into the earth's crust to the level of the world's oceans. He also proposed creating an artificial lake by damming the Chagres River. The length of the lake was 33 km, which almost halved the amount of work.

  To ensure the safety of the workers, Stevens organized work to drain the swamps, cut down the jungle and burn the grass. The earth was poured with engine oil, and the mosquitoes that brought death disappeared. Comfortable housing and canteens were also built here, and a water supply system was created for thousands of people ready to work on the construction of the canal.

  People from all over Europe and America went to the construction. They were paid well, although the work was hard. However, all the costs were brightened up by an established life and high wages.

  Stevens was replaced in 1907 George Washington Goethals. He was a protégé of the president and headed the already well-established and organized construction work. They ended in 1914 and lasted a total of 10 years.

  

  Lock on the Panama Canal

  Panama Canal today

  The canal currently belongs to Panama. The average fee charged to a ship moving from one ocean to another is about 13 thousand US dollars. Calculations are made depending on the tonnage of cargo ships and the number of berths on passenger liners. The maximum cost of passage today is 376 thousand dollars. This is what a Norwegian cruise ship paid in 2010.

  But the captain of an oil tanker paid $220,000 in 2006 for priority passage, so as not to wait for 90 other ships. Typically, owners of large cargo ships pay no more than 54 thousand dollars. But it’s good for owners of small yachts. They range from 1.5 to 3 thousand dollars depending on the length of the vessel.

  The Panama Canal plays a huge role in maritime transport. Although it was built 100 years ago, it meets all modern requirements. Moreover, cargo transportation increases every year, but the waterway from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean is constantly being modified and improved. However, this cannot go on forever. Therefore, the construction of the Nicaraguan Canal is planned for the future, which will create additional amenities for cargo and passenger ships.

  
  

  Each of us knows about, which connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, which allows transport companies to save huge amounts of time and money. But even the simplest canal is not just a dug ditch between reservoirs, but a complex technical system of locks. Let's try to understand this issue.

  Structure of the Panama Canal

  The Panama Canal is a collection of locks, a man-made shipping channel created at the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama in Central America. Since its opening in 1920, the Panama Canal has remained one of the most complex engineering projects in the world.

  Any type and size of vessel can pass through this S-shaped isthmus: from a modest yacht to a large tanker. Currently, the channel size has become the standard for ship construction. As a result, thanks to the locks of the Panama Canal, up to 48 ships pass through it per day, and millions of people around the world enjoy this comfort.

  So why are locks needed in the Panama Canal? The question is geographical, and the answer is obvious: since the canal consists of several lakes, deepened rivers and man-made canals, and at the same time connects two huge oceans, it is necessary to constantly equalize the water drop along the entire path and regulate the currents. And the difference in water level between the canal and the World Ocean is large - 25.9 m. Depending on the size and tonnage of the vessel, the water level in the lock increases or decreases, thereby creating the necessary conditions for the smooth passage of the vessel through the canal.

  Features of the Panama Canal locks

  There are two groups of locks operating in the canal bed. Each gateway is double-threaded, i.e. can simultaneously transport vessels in oncoming traffic. Although practice shows that ships usually pass in one direction. Each airlock chamber holds a maximum of 101 thousand cubic meters. m. water. Dimensions of the chambers: width 33.53 m, length 304.8 m, minimum depth - 12.55 m. Large vessels are pulled through the locks by special electric locomotives (“mules”). So, the main gateways of the Panama Canal are:

  1. Set in direction from the Atlantic Ocean three-chamber gateway "Gatun" (Gatun), connecting the same name with Limon Bay. Here the locks lift ships 26 m to lake level. The gateway has a camera installed, the image from which you can watch in real time on the Internet.
  2. On the Pacific side it works two-chamber gateway "Miraflores" (Miraflores) It connects the main canal bed with Panama Bay. His first airlock also has a video camera.
  3. Single-chamber gateway "Pedro Miguel" (Pedro Miguel) operates in conjunction with the Miraflores gateway system.
  4. Since 2007, work has been underway to expand the channel and install additional gateways to increase the capacity of the Panama Canal (third line). New parameters of the third line: length 427 m, width 55 m, depth 18.3 meters. Work is also underway to expand and deepen the main fairway in order to still accommodate the oncoming movement of ships. It is expected that from 2017 the channel will be able to carry double load.

  How to look at the Panama Canal locks?

  A highway and a railway line run along the entire canal. You can independently and free of charge follow any vessel and get acquainted with the canal system from afar. You can also buy a tourist tour for the same purpose.

  The Miraflores Gateway is considered accessible to tourists. You can take a taxi to it or buy a bus ticket for 25 cents, and as a group, drive as close to the gateway as possible to get to know its work. includes a visit to the museum ($10) and access to the observation deck, where information about the operation of the gateway is announced in real time over a loudspeaker.