The next morning we approached the Panama Canal during the only rain storm on our entire journey. We counted over 25 vessels waiting to begin their trek through the Canal. No ship is allowed to pass until their fees have been transferred into the Canal authorities bank account, so perhaps this is why so many ships were at anchor.

The Panama Canal was opened to commercial traffic on August 15, 1914. Since that time, more than 850,000 vessels carrying more than 6 billion tons of cargo have passed through the waterway. Savings to shipping and ultimately to consumers are enormous, and entire trade areas and industries have been developed as a result of its opening. Though the basic design of the Canal remains the same as when it opened in 1914, there have been many physical improvements and new procedures instituted to keep pace with the growing demands of the world's maritime traffic.

The ongoing multi-million dollar project to widen Gaillard Cut will increase capacity by allowing the largest ships to pass in the area where the Canal was cut through the Continental Divide. The Canal's current capacity is around 13,000 vessels annually. The Canal was transferred to the republic of Panama on December 31, 1999, and is being administered by the Panama government's Panama Canal Authority.

The operation of the locks rely solely on rainwater that fills Gatun Lake. The locks are filled strictly through gravity flow, i.e. there are no pumps at all in the system. The quantity of water used to fill a lock each time is approximately 53,000,000 gallons! The massive gates weighing up to 745 tons each are hollow and actually float, requiring only a 25 horsepower electric motor to open and close them. Each lock raises (or lowers) a vessel approximately 28 feet, for a total of 85 feet from sea level to the Gatun Lake level. For an animated explanation of the operation the the Panama Canal lock system, you can go to:
Panama Canal Operation

For an actual live view of a ship passing through the locks, check out:
Live Camera