Panama: The Panama Canal

We were both very interested in visiting the Panama Canal, in particular the visitor centre at Miraflores, which is right next to the locks, where huge ships go up and down to pass into the canal from the ocean into the inland waterways.

We decided to get there early without planning, to try and beat the crowds. The crowd-beating strategy worked, but we were right at the backend of a ship passing through the lock. After speaking with the staff at the visitor centre we discovered that the ships only pass through at certain times of the day and we had missed the early times – so we had to wait until the afternoon to see the next passages.

Later in the afternoon, we returned to the visitor centre at the Panama Canal. We spent a few minutes looking around the museum to get more of a background on the Canal’s history.

The idea of a canal through Central America dates back to the early European explorers. The Spanish, in the 16th century, recognised the potential of the narrow land bridge for creating a maritime shortcut. In 1513, Vasco Núñez de Balboa crossed the isthmus and became the first European to see the Pacific Ocean. Despite recognizing the strategic importance of a canal, technological limitations of the era prevented its realization.

By the 19th century, the Industrial Revolution brought new possibilities. The French, led by Ferdinand de Lesseps, who had successfully overseen the construction of the Suez Canal, took on the ambitious Panama project in 1881. However, this effort was fraught with challenges, including tropical diseases like malaria and yellow fever, a lack of understanding of the terrain, and severe engineering problems. The French design envisioned a sea-level canal, but the dense jungles, torrential rains, and mountainous terrain made this vision impractical. By 1889, the French effort collapsed in bankruptcy, having claimed the lives of thousands of workers.

In the early 20th century, the United States saw the canal as critical to its strategic and commercial interests. After securing rights to the project through negotiations with Panama—newly independent from Colombia—the U.S. took control of the canal zone in 1904. Under President Theodore Roosevelt, construction resumed with a different approach: a lock-based system to manage the elevation changes of the isthmus.

The Americans faced significant obstacles, but innovations in engineering and medicine helped overcome them. Under the leadership of Dr. William C. Gorgas, efforts to control mosquito-borne diseases dramatically reduced fatalities. Advances in excavation technology, including powerful steam shovels and rail systems, made the immense digging effort manageable. The American team completed the canal in 1914, ahead of schedule and within budget. The first ship to traverse the canal was the cargo ship SS Ancon.

The canal transformed global trade and naval strategy. By allowing ships to bypass the lengthy and treacherous route around the southern tip of South America, the Panama Canal became a vital link in international shipping. For much of the 20th century, the canal was under U.S. control, although it remained a source of tension with Panama.

In the mid-20th century, Panamanian nationalism grew, leading to calls for the canal’s sovereignty to be returned to Panama. This culminated in the 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaties, signed by U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos. The treaties guaranteed the transfer of the canal to Panama by December 31, 1999. On that date, Panama officially gained control of the canal

In the 21st century, the Panama Canal remains a crucial artery for global commerce. However, growing ship sizes posed challenges to its capacity. In response, the Panamanian government initiated an ambitious expansion project, completed in 2016. The expansion added a new set of locks, allowing much larger “Neopanamax” ships to transit the canal.

After learning more about the canal we headed outside as a large ship was passing through the lock and we wanted to see the lock system in action.

The Miraflores Locks are a crucial part of the Panama Canal lock system, responsible for raising and lowering ships as they transit between the Pacific Ocean and the canal’s interior waterways. Located near Panama City, Miraflores features two chambers that lift vessels approximately 16.5 metres (54 feet) in total, depending on the tide. The locks use massive steel gates and a gravity-fed water system that transfers millions of gallons of water from nearby reservoirs, such as Lake Miraflores, to fill and empty the chambers. It is quite a sight to see.