How to find the distance from Panamanian. Lock chambers of Lake Gatun
The Panama Canal, dug more than 100 years ago, has long been in need of modernization. Its capacity left much to be desired: ships sometimes had to wait for their turn for several days. In addition, the century-old locks did not correspond to the dimensions and tonnage of modern ships.
Work to update the channel began in 2007. Over the course of 9 years, the width of the locks was increased from 34 to 55 meters, and the depth - from 12 to 18 meters. As a result of the reconstruction, which cost $5.4 billion, the throughput of the artificial water artery increased from 300 to 600 million tons per year, and most importantly, the canal became adapted for tankers transporting liquefied gas. The maximum displacement of ships increased to 150,000 tons.
Globally
The opening of the Panama Canal 2.0 is a global event. At least, this is how the Panamanian authorities are positioning it - heads of state and government from all over the world are invited to the ceremony. True, only Latin American presidents confirmed their presence: Michelle Bachelet (Chile), Luis Guillermo Solis (Costa Rica), Daniel Medina (Dominican Republic), Juan Orlando Hernandez (Honduras) and Horacio Cartes (Paraguay). Also, 62 delegations from different countries and representatives of international organizations.
Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela also sent an invitation to Vladimir Putin, but this trip was not on the Russian leader’s schedule.
US area of interest
The main beneficiary of the Panama Canal reboot will be the United States. It was they who at one time were most interested in its construction. And in 1902, having bought the assets of the canal from the bankrupt French, they “agreed” with the Panamanian authorities and in 10 years successfully dug a path from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, paying for it approximately $400 million and more than 5.5 thousand lives of workers.
The United States had undivided ownership of the channel until 1999. But after numerous protests against the American presence, it was finally transferred to the control of Panama - the state agency of the Panama Canal Administration. True, in reality, the United States continues to consider the canal, like the entire territory of Panama, a zone of its vital interests. In addition, as Mikhail Belyat, a researcher at the Russian State University for the Humanities and an expert on Latin America, said in an interview with RT, “there is a lot of money from American shareholders in this channel.”
Economic effect
Ahead of the grand opening of the revamped Panama Canal, The Wall Street Journal wrote that expanding the waterway could have huge implications for global trade in the long term. Of course, first of all, American companies will gain an advantage, because through the modernized canal the United States will be able to quickly deliver oil and gas from the Gulf of Mexico to anywhere in the world.
- Reuters
However, there is another opinion. The expansion of the canal was planned at the peak of maritime traffic, but now the situation has changed, so the economic effect of modernizing the canal is not obvious. But optimistic experts predict an increase in maritime cargo traffic by at least 240% by 2030.
Monopoly game
The economic situation is changing, but the US monopoly on the Panama Canal seems to be constant. And this does not suit many people. First of all, China and Venezuela, as one of the main oil exporters in the region. China has already leased two ports at the entrance and exit of the canal, but still cannot feel calm and be completely sure that the transit of its goods will not one day be blocked.
The second disadvantage of the Panama Canal: even in its updated version, it is not wide and deep enough for the latest tankers. And finally, its lack of alternative contradicts the principles of competition.
These factors led to the emergence of the idea of a backup channel.
Nicaraguan understudy
Everything new is well forgotten old. The idea of building a canal on the territory of Nicaragua appeared in the 16th century and belonged to the Spanish king Charles V. In those distant times they were planning to build a canal across Lake Nicaragua and the San Juan River, cutting the 80-kilometer isthmus that separated the lake from the ocean. The Americans initially wanted to implement this same scenario, and the North American Company was even formed to build the Nicaraguan Canal. But in the end, the scales tipped in favor of Panama.
The idea of the Nicaraguan Canal was reborn in the 21st century. The private Hong Kong company HKND Group, led by Chinese billionaire Wang Jin, and the Nicaraguan government have agreed to build a backup canal. The construction of the century began in 2014.
- www.youtube.com
On all counts
According to the project, the Nicaraguan Canal should surpass its Panamanian competitor in all respects: length - 286 kilometers, depth - about 30 meters, width - from 226 to 530 meters, vessel displacement - up to 270,000 tons.
And what is important is that the emergence of the Nicaraguan Canal will significantly reduce prices for transit and port fees on the coast. “According to the existing project, two powerful ports will appear at the entrance and exit of the canal; they will compete with Panama,” Mikhail Belyat, a researcher at the Russian State University for the Humanities and an expert on Latin America, said in an interview with RT. - Accordingly, pricing for the use of the canal and port services along the entire coast will decrease. This does not suit the US."
Proetcontra
The construction of the canal is a matter of vital importance not only for all participants in the project. Nicaragua receives economic and political preferences: the country's GDP will double, and its geopolitical significance will radically change. China, having built the Nicaraguan Canal, comes seriously and for a long time to the American continent, and becomes one of the main players in the region, not to mention the economic benefits - it is no coincidence that Chinese investors are showing great interest in the project. Countries in the Asia-Pacific region and Latin America are also interested in the emergence of an alternative route from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. But for the United States, according to Mikhail Belyat, “this will be a geostrategic bomb. China is coming to the American continent. And so its presence there is obvious; in any Latin American country you will find a Chinese trace. But the canal is a huge thorn in the immediate vicinity of the US border.”
Do we need this?
China and Nicaragua cannot fail to realize all the risks arising from their proximity to the disgruntled States. Therefore, they are trying by any means to attract Russia to participate in the project in order to ensure its safety. In 2015, Daniel Ortega took the first step - he signed an agreement with Russia, according to which Russian warships would be able to stay in the territorial waters of Nicaragua. And recently, the first batch of modernized T-72B1 tanks in the amount of 20 units was delivered to Nicaragua. In total, under the contract, the Nicaraguans will receive 50 armored vehicles by the beginning of 2017.
“China needs Russia to take part in this project under any guise,” Oleg Valetsky, a military expert at the Center for Strategic Conjuncture, said in an interview with RT. “The Chinese understand perfectly well that this will be a blow to US interests with all the ensuing consequences.” Moreover, there were already precedents in history. “The United States carried out several interventions in Nicaragua with the aim of building such a canal,” says Mikhail Belyat. “And in the twentieth century they carried out interventions so that the canal would not be built in Nicaragua, because it was becoming an alternative to the Panama one.”
Whether Russia needs to take part in the construction of the century is a debatable question. A number of experts believe that it is not worth it yet. The economic benefits are dubious, and the geopolitical ones are unpredictable.
Delayed action mine
The start of operation of the Nicaraguan Canal was scheduled for 2019, and full completion of construction - for 2029. However, at first, farmers, concerned about the loss of their lands, stood in the way of the project, and construction was postponed for six months. Then, as usual, environmentalists were outraged, and again there was a delay. Finally, all controversial issues were resolved and the implementation of the project was again postponed until the end of 2016. As an explanation, the HKND Group stated financial difficulties.
But the reasons for the permanent freeze of the Nicaraguan Canal most likely lie in the realm of politics. There are presidential elections in Nicaragua on November 6, and presidential elections in the United States on November 8. And the future fate of the channel largely depends on their results.
“Ortega is running for a third term,” says Mikhail Belyat. - His chances are slim. We will have to withstand the pressure of the US-backed opposition. If a liberal president comes to power, the terms of the Nicaraguan Canal agreement may be revised.”
- Reuters
In turn, Hillary Clinton, according to experts, will not stand on ceremony with Chinese ambitions and will act extremely toughly.
So we will find out very soon whether there will be a Nicaraguan Canal, but for now the maritime powers will have to be content with the updated Panama Canal.
Ilya Oganjanov
Panama Canal- a shipping canal connecting the Gulf of Panama of the Pacific Ocean with the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, located on the Isthmus of Panama in the territory of the state of Panama. Length - 81.6 km, including 65.2 km on land and 16.4 km along the bottom of the Panama and Limon bays (for the passage of ships to deep water).
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 Earth, which determined 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 canal allows the most vessels to pass through it. different types- from private yachts to huge tankers 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 17.5 thousand ships carrying more than 203 million tons of cargo pass through the canal structures. By 2002, more than 800 thousand vessels had already used the canal’s services.
In December 2010, the canal was closed to ships for the first time in 95 years due to bad weather and rising water levels as a result of incessant rainfall.
Story
Construction of the canal in 1888
Panama Canal Promotion
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 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 right in Nicaragua to build 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 the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty in 1850 on a joint guarantee of the neutrality and security of the future interoceanic canal. Throughout the 19th century, two main options for the direction of the canal appeared: 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 version was seized 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 excavation work 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.
Spanish canal workers, early 1900s
Construction of the canal, 1911
In 1902, the US Congress passed a law requiring the President of the United States to purchase the property of the canal company, shares of the Panama Company railroad and a strip of land 10 miles wide from Colombia for the construction, maintenance and operation of the canal with the right of jurisdiction over the said territory. On January 22, 1903, Colombian Ambassador Thomas Herran and US Secretary of State John Hay signed an agreement under which Colombia leased a strip of land to the United States for a period of 100 years for the construction of the Panama Canal. For the sanction of the government of Colombia, which owned the territory of Panama, to transfer the concession, the United States agreed to pay a lump sum of $10 million and then, after 9 years, $250 thousand annually while maintaining Colombia's sovereignty over the Panama Canal zone. These conditions were formalized in the Hay-Herran Treaty, but the Colombian Senate on August 12, 1903 refused to ratify it, since the concession agreement with the French company expired only in 1904, and according to its terms, if the canal did not begin to function by that time, it was Undoubtedly, all the structures erected by the company were transferred free of charge to Colombia. The only way out interested parties in France and the United States now saw the state of Panama separating from Colombia and, as an independent state, formalizing the legal transfer of the concession to the United States. The Frenchman Bunau-Varilla led the separatist movement and, with the assistance of the US navy, carried out the secession of Panama on November 4, 1903; On November 18, on behalf of the “Independent Republic of Panama,” he signed a treaty with the United States modeled on the Hay-Herran Treaty. The US conflict with Colombia was resolved only in 1921.
Under the Treaty of 1903, the United States received in perpetual possession "a zone of land and land 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, was unable to maintain order. 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-Varilla 2 hours before the official Panama delegation arrived in Washington.
Construction began under the auspices of the US Department of Defense, and Panama actually became a US protectorate.
In 1900, in Havana, Walter Reed and James Carroll discovered that yellow fever was transmitted by mosquitoes, and proposed a method to reduce the danger of yellow fever by destroying mosquito habitats. Remembering the failure of the first attempt to dig a canal, the Americans sent out a mosquito-hunting campaign Aedes aegypti and malarial mosquitoes - carriers of yellow fever and malaria, respectively - a large expedition led by William Crawford Gorgas - 1,500 people. The scale of their activities is eloquently demonstrated by published data: it was necessary to cut down and burn 30 square kilometers of bushes and small trees, mow and burn grass over the same area, drain a million square yards (80 hectares) of swamps, dig 250 thousand feet (76 km) of drainage ditches and restore 2 million feet (600 km) of old ditches, spray 150 thousand gallons (570 thousand liters) of oils that kill mosquito larvae in breeding areas. As shortly before in Havana, this bore fruit: the prevalence of yellow fever and malaria decreased so much that the diseases ceased to be a hindering factor.
Panama Canal (USA), 1940
The US War Department began construction of the canal in 1904. John Frank Stevens became the canal's chief engineer. This time the right project was chosen: locks and lakes. Construction took 10 years, $400 million and 70 thousand workers, of whom, according to American data, about 5,600 people died. On the morning of October 13, 1913, US President Thomas Woodrow Wilson, in the presence of numerous high-ranking guests gathered at the White House, walked to a special table and pressed a gilded button with a majestic gesture. And at the same instant, a powerful explosion shook the humid tropical air four thousand kilometers from Washington, on the Isthmus of Panama. Twenty thousand kilograms of dynamite destroyed the last barrier separating the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans near the city of Gamboa. A four thousand kilometer long cable, specially laid from the jumper at Gamboa to the White House, obediently carried out the will of the president.
The first ship (an ocean-going steamer) passed through the canal on August 15, 1914, but a large landslide in October prevented the opening of traffic in the same 1914. To strengthen the defense on the approaches to the canal, the United States acquired nearby islands: the Pacific islands were received from Panama - Margarita, Perque, Naos, Culebra and Flamenco; The islands of St. were purchased from Denmark in 1917 for 25 million dollars. John, St. Cross and St. Thomas; in Nicaragua in 1928 - the Bread Islands and in Colombia - the islands of Roncador and Quitasueño. The official opening of the canal took place only on June 12, 1920.
In August 1945, Japan planned to bomb the canal.
The Panama Canal was controlled by the United States until December 31, 1999, after which it was transferred to the government of Panama.
Channel configuration
Due to the S-shape of the Isthmus of Panama, the Panama Canal is directed from the southwest (Pacific Ocean side) to the northeast (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 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
Huge ferry passing through the canal
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), from waterline to high point 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 three bridges. A road and a railway have been laid along the canal route between the cities of Panama and Colon.
Payments for channel passage
Canal tolls are officially collected by the Panama Canal Authority - government agency 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 dues 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. By 2014, it will be modernized and will be able to handle oil tankers with a displacement of more than 130 thousand tons, which will significantly reduce the time it takes to deliver Venezuelan oil to China. Just by this time, Venezuela promises to increase oil supplies to China to 1 million barrels per day.
During the reconstruction, it is planned to carry out dredging work and build new, wider locks. As a result, by 2014-2015, supertankers with a displacement of up to 170 thousand tons will be able to pass through the Panama Canal. The maximum throughput of the canal will increase to 18.8 thousand vessels per year, cargo turnover - up to 600 million PCUMS. The reconstruction will cost $5.25 billion. Thanks to it, Panama's budget is expected to receive $2.5 billion in annual revenue from the canal by 2015, and by 2025, revenue will increase to $4.3 billion.
The start of work on the construction of the third group of locks is scheduled for August 25, 2009. The Panama Canal Authority entrusted this work to the consortium GUPC (Grupo Unidos por el Canal), which won the construction tender on July 15, 2008, proposing to carry out necessary work for 3 billion 118 million dollars and complete construction by mid-2014. The main member of this consortium is the Spanish company Sacyr Vallehermoso.
Alternative
The territory of Nicaragua was considered as an alternative route for the interoceanic canal. The first preliminary plans for the Nicaraguan Canal arose in the 17th century.
see also
Notes
Links
- Between two oceans: Poseidon's Gate on the website of the magazine "Popular Mechanics"
- Official website of the Panama Canal Authority (Spanish) (English)
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 to sea vessels with high draft easily entered 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. Bandwidth is 49 nautical Vehicle 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 led 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 it represented the most 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.
The Panama Canal is an artificially created artery, the role of which is very difficult to overestimate for the modern transport system of the world. When and under what circumstances was it built? What are its main parameters? The answers to all these questions are contained in our article.
Panama Canal: general characteristics
The canal connects two oceans - the Pacific and the Atlantic. To be more precise: the Gulf of Panama with the Caribbean Sea. It is located within the modern state of Panama, at approximately 9° north latitude and 79° west longitude. These are its geographical coordinates. The Panama Canal went down in history as one of the largest engineering projects in the entire history of mankind and significantly influenced the development of world shipping as a whole.
First of all, the canal reduced the distance by sea between the two largest centers of the United States: New York and San Francisco (almost three times!). Over the entire period of its existence, it has passed over 800 thousand different ships. The Panama Canal has been in operation for almost a century.
Basic channel parameters
Construction of the Panama Canal lasted more than thirty years. And this is not surprising, because to implement such a large-scale project it was necessary to overcome and drill about 70 kilometers on land in the Isthmus of Panama.
The total length of the Panama Canal is 81.6 kilometers. Of these, about 65 kilometers were laid on land. The total width of the canal is about 150 meters. But the artificial locks for the passage of ships and vessels are 33 meters wide. The depth of the canal dividing the two Americas is only 12 meters.
Passage of ships
A variety of vessels use the canal's services: small yachts and large oil tankers. It is curious that the largest ship that is capable of passing through the locks of the Panama Canal soon became a kind of “yardstick”, a standard in shipbuilding. It also received a specific name: “Panamax”.
The passage of ships through the canal is controlled by a special service. On average, one ship overcomes it in nine hours. The Panama Canal can handle up to 50 ships per day. About 200 million tons of various cargo are transported here annually. Now you can easily imagine how significant and important the opening of the Panama Canal was 100 years ago.
How much do you need to pay to use this water transport corridor? The rate depends on the length (if we're talking about about small ships or yachts), or on the load (capacity) of the vessel. It is calculated in standard units of measurement - the so-called TEU (this is one container weighing 20 feet). The rate for one TEU is currently 49 US dollars.
Configuration and main technical features
Direction of the Panama Canal: from southeast to northwest. His general structure It is represented by two artificial reservoirs and two groups of locks. Also, during the construction of the canal, the beds of local rivers were deepened. All gateways here are double-sided, which allows for safe oncoming traffic ship
The length of the Panama Canal, which falls on the bays (Panamanskaya and Limonskaya), is only 16 kilometers. Large ships are navigated through it using powerful electric locomotives (previously this role was performed by ordinary mules).
The banks of the Panama Canal are connected by three bridges, and along it there is a railway line and a highway.
How and when did the channel appear?
It took almost a quarter of a century to implement this grandiose project. Ideas to connect the two oceans by water crossing began to appear a long time ago, long before its construction began. However technical capabilities for this purpose they appeared only at the end of the 19th century.
The first attempt to create a canal on the Isthmus of Panama belonged to the French and dates back to 1879. But it turned out to be unsuccessful and ended in a complete fiasco for France and numerous scandals. Almost 800 thousand shareholders were ruined, and 20 thousand construction workers died from malaria. The project leaders were convicted of fraud and corruption. By the way, one of the authors of this project, the famous Eiffel, received a prison sentence.
The next attempt to implement the Panama project belongs to the Americans. And they, unlike the French, were able to finish the job. The construction of the canal began in 1902.
The Canal and the Panamanian "separatists"
It is worth noting that the construction of the canal surprisingly coincided with the emergence of such a state as Panama. Previously, this isthmus was owned by Colombia, and it was with the president of this country that the United States entered into an agreement to lease a large plot of land for construction work. But it was not there! The Colombian Parliament refused to ratify this agreement. And after that, very interesting events began to happen.
Just in the state of Panama, where the construction of the canal was supposed to take place, a group of local separatists - fighters for the freedom of the region - suddenly arose. Colombia immediately tried to suppress these movements, but the Panamanian “rebels” were immediately supported by the US Navy. The Colombian government was forced to retreat: in November 1903, Panama declared itself an independent republic. And soon after this, the newly-minted government leadership signed an agreement with the United States on the transfer of land for lease and indefinite use of the canal. In exchange, the superpower promised to protect the sovereignty of young Panama.
How was the canal built?
In fairness, it is worth noting that the Americans approached this matter much more seriously than the French. Thus, the main enemy of the canal laying was malaria. The Americans very quickly solved this problem: they drained the swamps, created a system of ditches to drain water, and treated the area with mosquito repellent chemicals.
It is worth citing a few dry but impressive statistics. Work on laying the Panama Canal lasted 10 years. Over 70 thousand people took part in them. The total cost of the project was $400 million.
The opening of the Panama Canal was solemn and extremely pompous. Woodrow Wilson (US President), while in the White House, pressed the button and blew up the last jumper of the future channel. And the waters of the two oceans united! By the way, to implement this majestic act, a 4,000-kilometer cable was specially laid from Washington to Panama.
It is believed that the year the Panama Canal opened was 1914. On August 15 of this year, the first ship, the Christobel, passed through it. However, that same fall, a major landslide occurred on the canal, which stopped navigation for some time. Traffic along the Panama Crossing resumed a year later - in 1915, when another grand opening took place.
Bridge of the Americas
It should be noted that the new grand canal not only connected two oceans, but also separated two continents. This problem was immediately felt by the residents of two cities - Colon and Panama, which found themselves cut off from the rest of their republic.
Construction of the so-called Bridge of the Americas began in 1959 and was completed in 1962. It became the first continuous road bridge to connect two continents. Before this, the connection between the two banks of the canal was provided by drawbridges.
Current status and prospects
Despite the fact that the canal was built exactly 100 years ago, it is still in great demand today. It goes without saying that the size and tonnage of modern ships have increased significantly. Therefore, the modern Panama Canal faces a number of potential and serious problems today.
In 2006, a special referendum was held in Panama regarding the future of the canal. And 79% of the country's residents were in favor of its expansion and modernization. Active work started already in 2007. It is planned that in the very near future the width of the access gates will increase from 34 to 55 meters, and the depth - to 15.2 meters. Thus, the Panama Canal will be able to accommodate modern large-capacity oil tankers.
Total cargo turnover should increase to 600 million PEU. According to plans, the new Panama Canal after reconstruction will be able to handle 18.8 thousand ships a year. The total cost of the canal modernization project is a whopping US$5.25 billion.
Alternative to the Panama Canal
It is clear that global shipping volumes are growing. And if in the first half of the twentieth century the Panama Canal coped with its responsibilities perfectly, today it is increasingly faced with new problems. So, in last years Maritime traffic jams of ships forming on both sides of the canal have become more frequent. Sometimes the length of one such jam reaches several dozen large vessels.
Based on this, many are thinking about the need to build a second Panama Canal. Nicaragua, in this regard, is seen as the most suitable option.
The projected canal in Nicaragua is great alternative Panama Canal, many experts think so. And natural conditions contribute to its laying. By the way, the first ideas to cut a passage in this country arose back in the 17th century.
Nicaraguan channel
The leaders of three states (Russia, China and Nicaragua) have already agreed on joint participation in this project. New channel will not only solve the transport problem, but will also deprive the United States of its economic monopoly in this region.
45 billion dollars is the estimated cost of the project. China promised to bear the main financial burden. Russian Federation in turn, undertakes to provide military support for the project. Thus, Russian warships are allowed to remain in the territorial waters of Nicaragua until mid-2015.
It is planned that the width of the Nicaraguan Canal will be from 230 to 530 meters, and the depth - up to 30 meters. The total length of the canal will be 278 kilometers, of which 105 kilometers should pass through the waters of Lake Nicaragua.
Conclusion
The Panama Canal is a magnificent structure, one of the greatest engineering projects in human history. It took 10 long years and millions of dollars to build. Despite its advanced age, the Panama Canal continues to be in great demand. However, new times require new capacities, as a result of which the channel faces a host of new problems. To solve this problem, it was decided to qualitatively modernize the structure. In addition, it also considers alternative options, in particular, the construction of a new canal in Nicaragua.
Already the ancient Egyptians built a shipping canal that connected the Nile with the Red Sea. Viscount Ferdinand Marie de Lesseps (1805 - 1894) was a French businessman, politician and diplomat. In 1833 he was consul in Cairo, in 1848 - 1849 - ambassador in Madrid. In 1869 he became a member of the French Academy of Sciences. He was the organizer of the construction of the Suez Canal, and in 1875, during a conference of the Paris Geographical Society, he outlined the concept of his new project - the construction of the Panama Canal.
In 1854, when Said Pasha became Viceroy of Egypt, he granted Lesseps a concession to build the Suez Canal. Lesseps thought through every detail related to the opening of the Suez Canal, and managed to competently stage it as an unprecedented celebration. There would be festive fireworks, dancing and music; on the occasion of this event, an opera was commissioned from the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (however, the composer failed, and the premiere of “Aida” took place only in 1871).
The opening ceremony was attended by 6,000 invited guests, among whom were many crowned heads from all over the world. A whole flotilla led by the French yacht “L’Aigle” passed along the canal, on board of which were the French Empress Eugenie, the ruler of Egypt, the emperors of Russia and Austria, the kings of Prussia and Holland.
Suez Canal canal on the map
The Suez Canal is considered to be a conventional border between Africa and Asia. During its construction, they tried to make maximum use of natural reservoirs - lakes Timsakh, Bolshoye Gorkoye and Maloe Gorkoye. At the southern entrance to the canal is the city of Suez, and in the north, on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, is Port Said.
Suez Canal from satellite
The Suez Canal mainly transports oil, iron ore, raw materials for the smelting of non-ferrous metals, as well as grain and timber. Despite the fact that this waterway runs through a barren desert, it is very popular among tourists.
The Panama Canal crosses the Isthmus of Panama, a narrow strip of land that connects North America to South America. At the entrance to the canal from the Pacific Ocean (Gulf of Panama) is the city of Panama, and from the Atlantic Ocean is the port of Colon.
The Panama Canal, connecting the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, at one time became one of the most ambitious projects. After the completion of many years of construction, the length of the water corridor was 65 km. The city of Panama was founded by the Spaniards in 1519 as a harbor for ships bringing gold from Peru. The route along which the jewels were transported initially went along the western shores South America to the narrowest point on the isthmus that separated the two oceans. Here the treasures were loaded onto mules and transported from the shores of the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic coast. Convoys carrying gold were often attacked by pirates, and in 1671 Henry Morgan dared to attack the city, captured it and burned it to the ground. Spain restored Panama, but in a different place. Today the Panama Canal is one of the tourist attractions.
Panama Canal on the map
An observation terrace was built especially for tourists, from where you can watch the maneuvers of ocean-going ships when these giants enter the canal bed. The Panama Canal runs through picturesque green hills. Vessels intending to cross the Panama Canal from the Atlantic enter the locks and rise 26 meters to the level of the artificial Gatun Lake. All lock chambers are paired and are designed so that ships coming from opposite directions can sail through the canal at the same time. In August 1914, the first ship passed through the 65-kilometer Panama corridor (together with the coastal part of the Gulf of Panama and Limon Bay, the length of the canal is 81.6 km).
Panama Canal from satellite