DSC02006, Panama Canal, Colon, Panama

Stand face-to-face with the grandeur of the Panama Canal an engineering marvel aboard the Coral Princess. When our ship enters the canal it rose 85 feet in one of the legendary Gatun Locks. It’s an amazing experience. The Panama Canal transverses the Isthmus of Panama in Central America, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean The construction of the canal was one of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken. It has had an enormous impact on shipping, as ships no longer have to travel the long and treacherous route via the Drake passage and Cape Horn at the southernmost tip of South America
What makes the Panama Canal remarkable is its self sufficiency. The dam at Gatun, is able to generate the electricity to run all the motors which operate the canal as well as the locomotives in charge of towing the ships through the canal. No force is required to adjust the water level between the locks except gravity. As the lock operates, the water simply flows into the locks from the lakes or flows out to the sea level channels. The canal also relies on the overabundant rainfall of the area to compensate for the loss of the 52 million gallons of fresh water consumed during each crossing.

See set comments for Panama Canal Overview