The Panama Canal
World's one of the most important canals connecting the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic ocean. As of 2024 fiscal year, approximately 440 million metric tonnes of cargo were transported through canal in each fiscal year.
The construction of the canal began in 1904 and was completed in a span of ten years, with its inauguration taking place on August 15, 1914. The canal was originally constructed to reduce the time to cross the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Before the canal was built, ships used longer routes such as the Drake Passage and the Strait of Magellan at the southernmost point of South America, which added an extra eighteen to twenty days to the voyage with hazardous weather and route. In the opening year, the canal transported around a thousand ships, and nowadays, almost thirteen thousand ships pass through the canal yearly (35-38 ships daily).
The major challenge in its construction was that the ships were to be lifted up to around 26 metres above sea level to match Lake Gatun's level, which is an artificial lake. Engineers overcame this problem by using locking systems that raised the ship's level by damming up freshwater in locks from Gatun and Alajuela Lakes. When the water is pumped out of the locks, the ship once again matches the level with the ocean. During a single passing of a ship, almost twenty crore litres of freshwater is used. This clearly says why the Panama Canal is called 'the modern engineering marvel'.
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| Diagrammatic Representation of the canal and locks. |
The length of the canal is around 97 kilometers, and is controlled by the Panama Canal Authority (owned by Panamanian Govt.). From 1904 to 1979 the canal was controlled by the United States and then for the next twenty years both countries controlled the waterway, and from 1999 the canal is solely controlled by Panama because of the Panama Treaty.
The ships passing through the passage had to meet strict limits and requirements. The Panamax or Neopanamax are the terms used for ship sizes passing through the canal. According to the neopanamax dimensions, the ship should not be more than 366 metres in length, the maximum beam should be 51.25 metres, and the height of the ship has to be under 57.91 meters.
The canal also serves as a major source of revenue for Panama's government by charging tolls and other charges. According to the Maritime Post, the government earns approximately two billion dollars every year through the canal; the transit toll for an average ship is around fifty-four thousand dollar. Surprisingly, the Panama Canal controls around three percent of the world's maritime trade.
Thank You,
Sarthak P. Khode 😊
