The construction of the Panama Canal was one of the most important milestones in navigation. Put into operation in 1920 (the first ship passed through it in 1914, but due to a landslide in the fall of that year, official traffic was opened only six years later), the canal shortened the route between the ports of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans several times - before, to get from one ocean to another, ships had to go around South America right around Cape Horn. Today, the Panama Canal is one of the world's main sea routes, through which about 18 thousand ships pass annually (the current throughput of the canal is 48 ships per day), which is a significant part of the world's cargo turnover.
The history of the Panama Canal goes back to the 16th century, when the Spaniard Vasco Nunez de Balboa was the first to cross the Isthmus of Panama and go to the Pacific coast - so it was discovered that the territory of modern Panama is only a narrow strip of land between the oceans. In 1539, the Spanish king sent an exploration expedition to explore the possibility of building a waterway across the Isthmus of Panama, but the expedition reported to the king that this undertaking was unrealizable.
The first real attempt to build the Panama Canal was made by the French in 1879 under the leadership of Ferdinand de Lesseps, a diplomat and manager of the Suez Canal project, which had been opened shortly before, in 1869. But building the Panama Canal was a much more difficult task. In 1889, the French project went bankrupt - the challenge posed by the Panamanian jungle with its tropical downpours, impenetrable swamps and at the same time rocky soils, floods and, worst of all, deadly epidemics of malaria, yellow fever, plague, typhoid and other diseases was too difficult. , which claimed the lives of about 20 thousand people in the first campaign.
Then the United States took over the construction of the Panama Canal. The United States was interested in shortening the water route from the ports of California to its Atlantic coast, and most importantly, the Panama Canal was of tremendous military importance - it allowed the fleet to be transferred almost instantly from one ocean basin to another, which significantly increased the power and world influence of the States. In 1903, the United States bought the Panama project from the French, secured Panama's independence from Colombia, which did not want to provide the Americans with the canal zone for, in fact, perpetual use, after which they signed a formal agreement with the new Panamanian government (which was again represented by the Frenchman Philippe-Jean Bunot -Varilla, who was one of the main participants in the bankrupt first project). The treaty gave the United States a 5-kilometer zone on each side of the canal for perpetual use (that is, in fact, forever) and the exclusive right to occupy territories outside this zone as part of any measures to protect the waterway. Thus, the declaration of the canal neutral and the guarantee of free passage through the canal of military and merchant ships of all nations, both in peacetime and in wartime, was destroyed by the American reservation that these regulations would not apply to such measures that the United States considered necessary to take for the defense of Panama and maintaining order in the channel. In fact, in a war in which the United States would participate, their military fortifications would inevitably deprive the other belligerent of the opportunity to use the channel on an equal footing.
John Frank Stevens became the chief engineer of the Panama Canal. Taking into account the mistakes of the French, the Americans first of all took colossal measures to disinfect the construction zone and prevent tropical diseases. The project was also changed - according to the French project, the Panama Canal, like the Suez Canal, was supposed to be built on the same level with the oceans, without locks. This required a colossal amount of excavation work on the watershed section of the route. American engineers changed the design and proposed a lockable channel with three stages of locks on each side and a watershed section at a height of 26 meters above the ocean level. On the watershed, the Gatun reservoir was created, into which ships from the Atlantic side rose in the Gatun locks, and from the Pacific - in the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores locks.
The Panama Canal was opened in 1920 and remained under US control for many years. There were dozens of American military bases in the canal zone, and about 50,000 military and civilian specialists worked. Over time, dissatisfaction with this began to grow in Panama, and in 1977 an agreement was signed on the gradual transfer of the Panama Canal from the United States to Panama. In reality, this process took more than two decades, and finally the canal zone passed into the possession of Panama on December 31, 1999.
The length of the canal is 81.6 kilometers, of which 65.2 kilometers are actually on land and another 16.4 kilometers along the bottom of the Panama and Limon bays to deep water. Vessels that are large enough to pass through the Panama Canal are called Panamax class ships. This standard was the main one for marine vessels until the early 1990s, when the active construction of Post-Panamax class ships (mainly tankers) began, the dimensions of which are larger than the dimensions of the Panama Canal locks. Today, the cost of one passage of the Panama Canal depends on the type and size of the vessel and ranges from $800 for a small yacht to $500,000 for the largest ships. There were also funny cases - for example, in 1928, 36 cents were taken from the famous American traveler Richard Halliburton, who sailed through the canal from one ocean to another. :)
The Panama Canal today is not only one of the most important transport links in the world, but also the main tourist attraction of Panama. At the Panama Canal, there is now a large tourist center at the Miraflores locks, where from several special viewing platforms you can see the locks and the ships passing them, while the loudspeaker tells about each ship, its route and what it transports. There are other tours - on buses along the canal, by rail, walks on small boats; as part of some standard Caribbean cruises, cruise ships ascend the Atlantic slope of the canal through the Gatun locks to the watershed and then return back to the Caribbean Sea (and tourists who wish can pass the rest of the Panama Canal on boats as part of the excursion). But by far the best, most unique, and most enthusiastic way to see the Panama Canal is to transit it entirely on a cruise ship, cross it from the Atlantic to the Pacific (or vice versa), and continue on to a very different ocean basin. Absolutely everyone, even the most experienced travelers, prepare for the passage of the Panama Canal in a completely special way.
The direct passage of the Panama Canal takes an average of about 9 hours, not counting the waiting time for ships on huge sea roads from each side. The cruise ship, of course, goes strictly according to the schedule, and goes to the canal immediately, out of turn. Zaandam approaches the Panama Canal Zone at about 5 am. The entrance to the spacious approach water area of the Panama Canal from the Caribbean Sea is marked by powerful lighthouses and protected by many kilometers of dams. At the entrance to the canal in the roadstead, waiting for their turn, there are dozens of ships of all sizes and colors, brightly lit at night. And on the shore of the bay is the city and port of Colon, with a huge container terminal. The same container terminal is located at the other entrance to the canal - thus, container ships of the "Post-Panamax" class (that is, the dimensions of which are larger than the locks of the Panama Canal) are unloaded at these entrance ports, containers with cargo are transported along the railway along the canal, and then on the other side they board new ships and continue the route. Also, the railway between the ports is also used for partial unloading of large container ships passing through the canal in order to reduce their draft.
1. Five in the morning, it's just beginning to get light, but most of the tourists are already on their feet: the entrance to the Panama Canal is one of the central events of the cruise! We go into the approaching water area, from the board in the predawn twilight you can see the lights of the port of Colon.
4. Having taken on board a group of pilots, we head to the entrance - from the side of the Caribbean Sea, the Panama Canal begins with a three-stage staircase of Gatun locks, in which ships rise from the level of the Atlantic Ocean to the watershed section of the canal.
5. To the left of the existing two-line locks, since 2007, an additional third line of Panama Canal locks has been built.
They will be significantly larger than the existing ones and will increase the maximum size and draft of ships that can navigate through the canal. If the current locks have dimensions of 304.8 x 33.5 and a depth of 12.8 meters, then the new ones are 427 x 55 x 18.3, respectively. In addition to the construction of the second stage of locks, the fairway is currently being widened and deepened at the Culebra watershed, so that two-way traffic of ships becomes possible along the entire length of the canal (now traffic and locking on the Panama Canal is essentially one-way - first a group of ships goes in in one direction, then in the opposite direction, and ships diverge on wider lake sections of the route). Once this massive renovation is completed, the capacity of the Panama Canal will double.
6. Old and new locks of the Panama Canal
9. Longitudinal profile of the Panama Canal
11. At 6-30 in the morning we approach the Gatun locks. The movement of ships along one of the most important transport links in the world is continuous, from the bow of the Zaandam it is clearly visible how four ships rise up the stairs of locks in front of us, two in each thread.
12. On the bank of the canal there are huge gates for the locks under construction of the second stage - they are made in Italy and were delivered to the canal recently, at the end of August 2013.
13. We approach the first gateway. Clumsy sea vessels move from chamber to chamber with the help of special locomotives, to which mooring lines are attached and pulled. Locomotives with stretched mooring lines attached to them accompany the vessel from four sides (at the bow and stern from each side) - thus, a perfectly clear entry of huge sea vessels into a very small chamber compared to their size is carried out. Mooring lines from locomotives to the ship are served by a boat.
14. Mooring lines are fixed - let's go! :)
15. We go into the first lock chamber - ships rise from the Caribbean Sea to the watershed section in the three-stage Gatun locks. The total lift height is 26 meters. Accordingly, a little less than nine meters per step. But from the side of a huge sea liner, this nine-meter drop is not perceived as significant.
16. Incredible excitement on the decks!
17. Since the United States finally withdrew from the Panama Canal in 1999, the unique facility has been entirely self-maintained and maintained by Panama. The channel is in safe hands! :)
18. The locomotive, starting the ship from the stern on the starboard side, deftly climbs up. Now the gates will close, and locking will begin.
19. Having risen in the first, we pass into the second chamber.
20. One of the Panama Canal webcams is installed in the Gatun locks, which broadcast the picture on the Internet in real time. At this moment, many of my friends and colleagues are watching us go through the locks. This is how Zaandam, slowly rising along the Atlantic slope of the Panama Canal, looks from the side. :)
21. Having completed locking in the third chamber, "Zaandam" rises to the level of the watershed section of the canal. From the stern there is a stunning view of the lock stairs going down and the ships rising up it behind us. The spirit is captivating! Far below stretches the expanse of the Caribbean Sea. And we are in the Pacific Ocean. Goodbye Atlantic! :)
24. Having risen in the Gatun locks, the ship enters the lake of the same name. Gatun Lake is actually a large reservoir formed on the watershed by a large dam on the Chagres River, which is clearly visible on the starboard side.
The canal is supplied with water from Gatun Lake. Such canals, in which a reservoir that feeds them with water, is located on a watershed section, from which water is distributed by gravity to both slopes, are called canals with natural feeding (gravity-flowing). In our country, these are the Volga-Baltic and White Sea-Baltic canals.
25. On Lake Gatun there is another raid of ships waiting for their turn in the locks and waiting for the end of the locking of those who come towards them. When the second phase of the Panama Canal is put into operation, traffic along the entire length of the route will become fully two-way.
26. The path along the Gatun reservoir is approximately half of the entire length of the Panama Canal. We admire the surrounding landscapes of the equatorial belt from the deck.
29. The fairway is not wide and rather winding. The waterway is marked with special buoys.
30. At the Gatun reservoir, there is a divergence of ships going in opposite directions. A caravan of ships is coming towards us, having passed the locks of the Pacific slope in the morning and is now heading towards the Atlantic slope of the canal. Large tankers, dry cargo ships, container ships pass very close by...
35. From the bridges of oncoming cargo ships, Zaandam is also viewed with interest. The passage of cruise ships through the Panama Canal is a fairly rare event.
36. On the left side of the board you can see the confluence of the Chagres River, which is crossed by the bridge. The Gatun Reservoir ends here. Further, the route of the canal passes through the artificially dug Culebra cut.
37. A railroad runs along the route of the Panama Canal, along which containers are transported from the Atlantic port to the Pacific port and vice versa. Sometimes tourist trains run along it.
38. We go through the Culebra notch - the narrowest part of the Panama Canal.
39. In some sections, vessels are escorted along the canal by tugboats. A whole special flotilla of them works on the Panama Canal.
40. In the place where the notch of Culebra crosses a high mountain range, the banks rise steeply in steps, and in the distance the cable-stayed Centennial Bridge is already visible. It was completed in 2004 and became the second permanent bridge across the canal. By the way, bridges across the Panama Canal connect two continents - let's not forget that the Panama Canal not only connects two oceans, but also separates the two Americas. The motto of Panama and the Panama Canal, "A Land Divided - A World United", I think, is understandable without additional translation. Now we have North America on the starboard side, and South America on the port side. :)
41. The slopes of the recess in this place, rising with stone ledges and reinforced with powerful anchors, resemble some fantastic Mayan pyramids. In principle, in terms of its grandeur, the Panama Canal is quite comparable to them. The volume of rocky soil developed during the creation of the Culebra excavation is equal in volume to 63 pyramids of Cheops in Egypt.
43. Shortly after the bridge, the watershed section of the canal ends and the descent to the Pacific Ocean begins, which ships also overcome in three 9-meter steps. But the Pacific slope is a little more gentle - if on the Atlantic slope all three steps are in a row in the Gatun locks, then there are two groups of locks - Pedro Miguel (1 step) and Miraflores (2 steps), separated by a small intermediate pool. So, we go into the gateways of Pedro Miguel.
44. Approximately the same view opens from the captain's bridge. From this perspective, you can clearly see how narrow the lock chamber is compared to the colossal dimensions of ocean-going ships. Even in the presence of locomotives guiding the vessel, the navigators are required to be extremely precise here. All vessels navigate the canal with a group of local pilots.
46. Locomotives drive the Emerald Express tanker into the parallel chamber.
47. At this time on his decks.
48. Having completed the locking in the Pedro Miguel locks, Zaandam enters the small Lake Miraflores, as well as Lake Gatun, formed by the dam. Here we will have to wait a bit - a huge floating crane is being dragged towards us along a parallel string of locks, and for some time ships go only along one thread.
49. We go out into the water area and stop. We'll have to wait half an hour for the ship ahead of us to pass in two chambers, and our turn will come.
50. The ships following us are also waiting - a small traffic jam! :)
51. On the left, a dam on the river is visible, which formed the Miraflores reservoir.
From ancient times to the present day, many waterways have been created in the world - artificial channels. The main tasks of such artificial ones are to facilitate the passage of the waterway and reduce the distance. The most famous canals are Panama and Suez.
The Panama Canal is an artificial waterway in Panama that crosses the Isthmus of Panama in its lowest part and connects the Atlantic and. This is one of the most important transport waterways of international importance. The Panama Canal is considered a real miracle of engineering. One of its channels has the highest throughput in the world.
The canal stretched for 50 miles from Panama (on the coast of the Pacific Ocean) to Colon (on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean). It provides passage for over 12,000 ocean-going vessels per year.
The discoverer of Panama, who took the first step on its land, was the Spaniard Rodrigo de Bastidas. He arrived here in 1501. Vasco Nunez de Balboa sailed on the same ship with a group of settlers who remained in Panama.
The possibility of building a canal through Central America was already mentioned in 1550 by Antonio Galvao. He argued that this canal would greatly facilitate overcoming the path between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. He considered the Darien Isthmus a suitable place for this - a narrow, 48-kilometer strip between Central and. , which at that time owned the American colonies, considered this proposal unprofitable, since it could undermine the country's monopoly on land routes in these areas.
The greatest interest in this idea arose during the California gold rush (1848). In 1850, both countries (both countries claimed ownership of the canal) concluded the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty, according to which the parties refused to acquire exclusive rights to the future canal and pledged to guarantee its neutrality. According to this agreement, both countries temporarily stopped the seizure of new territories around Panama. The future canal was declared open to all who wished to join its construction.
However, despite all the preparations, the canal began to be built, since the United States and Great Britain were not interested in cooperation, each of these countries counted only on personal ownership. Used this.
In 1878, France received from, where it was until 1903, a concession for 99 years for the construction of a canal.
In 1879, the "General Company of the Inter-Ocean Canal" was created under the leadership of Ferdinand de Lesseps, the builder of the Suez waterway. Two years later, work began on its construction.
The canal laying ceremony took place on January 1, 1880 at the mouth. She flew under the French flag. However, in 1886, work was stopped. The difficulties seemed insurmountable. The rocky ground was incredibly hard, besides, the workers began to die one after another. The construction fell into disrepute, to the point that some groups of workers brought their own coffins with them from France. Epidemics of malaria and plague raged in the construction area. There is evidence that about 20,000 people died there.
In 1887, the company went bankrupt due to high prices, financial scams, and high death rates among workers. In addition, in France, thousands of shareholders were completely ruined. In May 1891, a court case took place against the owners of the company. It turned out that many officials were systematically bribed. A huge scandal erupted. The head of the company, Fernand de Lossepsa, received 5 years in prison.
Work on the construction of the canal was suspended until 1905. Three years earlier, in 1902, a new Hay-Pouncefort treaty was concluded, annulling the previous agreement. The French company was afraid of losing all capital investments in case of building a canal through and sold to the USA all rights and its property in Panama for 40 million dollars. Thus, the United States actually received a monopoly on the construction of the canal.
On November 3, 1903, Panama announced its secession from Colombia and declared its independence. In the same year, an agreement was signed between the United States and Panama, according to which all rights to use the future canal were transferred to the States for an "indefinite period", in return, the Americans transferred to Panama those located in the canal zone (Perico, Naos, Culebra, Flamenco)
In 1905, an expert council appointed by President Roosevelt recommended building a lockless canal, but Congress, given the mistakes of French construction, accepted the project with locks. The work on the construction of the canal included many elements. It was necessary not only to lay the waterway itself, but also to build ports at both its ends, as well as to build breakwaters, dams, and locks. Much of the road between Colón and Panama City had to be rebuilt as well.
At first, the work was carried out under the guidance of civil engineers, but since 1907 the construction was taken over by the military ministry. The French who started the construction excavated 23 million cubic meters of earth along the route of the canal; North Americans had another 208 million to take out.
Construction, with interruptions, lasted almost 40 years. The first ship passed through the Isthmus of Panama on August 15, 1914, but the discovery went unnoticed by the whole world, as the First World War was going on. The canal began to function in full force after the official opening on June 12, 1920. According to government sources, the construction of the canal cost $380 million.
In 1935, the volume was increased by the construction of the Madden Dam in the upper reaches of the Chagres, which led to the appearance of the lake.
Over the years, Panama continued to press the United States to cancel certain clauses of the treaty. In the end, the States gave in. The US administration ceased to manage the Panama Canal, this happened on December 31, 1999, management passed to the Panamanian administration Autoridad del Canal de Panama (ACP).
The length of the canal is 82.4 kilometers. Contrary to the general impression, it does not run in a straight line from east to west, but curves. This is due to the geography of the Isthmus of Panama. The channel heads southeast from Colón, ending near Panama City in the Pacific Ocean.
From the huge breakwaters in the Limon Bay, ships go to the three Gatun locks, where they are raised to a height of 26 meters to the artificial lake Gatun. Behind this lake, on a channel 150 meters wide, there are already other locks. There, ships descend first 9, and then 16.5 meters to sea level and enter the Pacific port, protected by giant breakwaters.
The length of the Panama Canal is 81.6 km, including 65.2 km on land and 16.4 km along the bottom of the Panama and Limon bays.
All gateways are bidirectional. They are 305 meters high and 34 meters wide, and they are designed so that ships coming from opposite directions can sail past each other. The thickness of the huge steel gates of these locks is 2.1 meters, and the height is up to 25 meters. Small diesels, moving along the walls, slowly lead the ship through the lock. Typically, one ship requires six of these machines.
The time for ships to pass through the Panama Canal is 7-8 hours, the minimum is 4 hours. The average throughput is 36 ships, the maximum is 48 ships per day.
The channel is constantly improving. To this end, the Autoridad del Canal de Panama (ACP) currently has more than 9,000 employees.
There is an investment program that provides for more than a billion dollars in investments for the reconstruction and renewal of the canal. It is planned to purchase additional locomotives for towing ships through the locks, as well as to replace the old lock gates with more modern ones, with a built-in system for monitoring the condition of the barriers.
In 2004, work was completed to expand the Panama Canal. The narrowest section - 13 km, called Gaillard Cut, has increased by approximately 40 meters. Now two ships can pass in this place at the same time. As a result, the channel capacity is expected to increase by 20%. The construction of three new dams for the new lakes is planned soon, which will increase the amount of water in the canal, as well as provide a new source of drinking water and hydroelectric power for the country.
Panama Canal- a shipping channel connecting the Panama Bay 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), total width - 150 meters (width of lock chambers 33 meters), depth - 12 meters. Officially opened June 12, 1920.
The passage of ships through lock chambers. Locks in two lanes, 33.5 m wide each. Lock chamber length 305 m
Despite the official opening of the canal in 1920, the first ship to pass through it was the American steamer SS Ancona on August 15, 1914.
The construction of the Panama Canal has become one of the largest and most complex construction projects carried out by mankind. The Panama Canal had an invaluable impact on the development of shipping and the economy as a whole in the Western Hemisphere and throughout the world, which led to 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 incredible complexity and scale for that time of the project is captured in a photo of 1912
The sea route from New York to San Francisco was reduced from 22.5 thousand km to 9.5 thousand km
The canal passes through the vessels of various types - from private yachts to huge tankers and container ships. The maximum size of a ship that can pass through the Panama Canal has become a de facto standard in shipbuilding, called Panamax.
The Panamax standard assumes the maximum dimensions of the vessel: length - 965 feet (294.13 m), width - 106 feet (32.31 m) and 39.5 feet (12.04 m) - landing depth when loaded
Vessels are escorted through the Panama Canal by the Pilot Service of the Panama Canal. The average time for a ship to pass through the channel is 9 hours, the minimum time is 4 hours 10 minutes. The maximum throughput is 48 vessels per day. About 14 thousand ships carrying about 280 million tons of cargo pass through the canal facilities every year. (5% of the world's ocean freight). The channel is overloaded, so the queue to pass through it is sold at auctions. The total fee for the passage of a vessel through the canal can reach $400,000. By 2002, more than 800,000 ships used the canal's services.
In December 2010, for the first time in 95 years, the canal was closed to ships due to bad weather and rising water levels as a result of incessant downpours.
In July 2014, the final route of the Nicaraguan Canal was announced, corresponding in width and depth to the parameters of modern ships and designed to become an alternative to the Panama Canal.
Proposed routes for the Nicaraguan Canal. The canal under construction will pass along the green line
Dug over 100 years ago, the Panama Canal has long needed modernization. Its capacity left much to be desired: ships sometimes had to wait for their turn for several days. In addition, centuries-old locks did not correspond to the dimensions and tonnage of modern ships.
Work on upgrading the channel began in 2007. For 9 years, the width of the locks has been increased from 34 to 55 meters, the depth - from 12 to 18 meters. As a result of the reconstruction, which cost $5.4 billion, the capacity of the artificial waterway increased from 300 to 600 million tons per year, and most importantly, the canal became adapted for tankers carrying liquefied gas. The maximum displacement of ships has increased to 150,000 tons.
On a global scale
The opening of the Panama Canal 2.0 is a global event. At least, this is how the Panamanian authorities position 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 will arrive in Panama.
Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela sent an invitation to Vladimir Putin as well, but this trip was not included in the schedule of the head of Russia.
US zone of interest
The main beneficiary of the Panama Canal reset will be the United States. It was they who at one time were most interested in its construction. And in 1902, having bought the channel's assets from the bankrupt French, they "agreed" with the Panamanian authorities and in 10 years they successfully dug a path from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, paying for this about $ 400 million and more than 5.5 thousand lives of workers.
The United States owned the channel as a sole proprietorship until 1999. But after numerous speeches against the American presence, it was finally transferred under the control of Panama - the state agency "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 Humanitarian University 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 renovated Panama Canal, The Wall Street Journal wrote that expanding the waterway could make a huge difference to global trade in the long term. Of course, first of all, American companies will have an advantage, because the modernized channel will allow the United States to quickly deliver oil and gas from the Gulf of Mexico to anywhere in the world.
However, there is another opinion. The expansion of the canal was planned at the peak of sea traffic, but now the situation has changed, so the economic effect of the modernization of 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 volatile, but the US monopoly on the Panama Canal seems to be a constant value. And this does not suit many. 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 be blocked one day.
The second minus of the Panama Canal: even in its updated version, it is not wide enough and deep enough for the latest tankers. And finally, its lack of alternatives is contrary to 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 going to lay a canal through Lake Nicaragua and the San Juan River, cutting the 80-kilometer isthmus that separated the lake from the ocean. The Americans originally wanted to implement the same scenario, and even the North American Company was 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 reached an agreement to build a backup canal. The start of the construction of the century was given in 2014.
On all counts
According to the project, the Nicaraguan canal in all respects should bypass its Panamanian competitor: length - 286 kilometers, depth - about 30 meters, width - from 226 to 530 meters, displacement of ships - up to 270,000 tons.
And, importantly, the emergence of the Nicaraguan Canal will significantly reduce transit prices and port dues 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,” said Mikhail Belyat, a researcher at the Russian State Humanitarian University, an expert on Latin America, in an interview with RT. - Accordingly, pricing for the use of the canal and port services along the entire coast will decrease. It doesn't suit the US."
Proetcontra
Canal construction is a matter of vital importance not only for all project participants. Nicaragua receives economic and political preferences: the country's GDP will double, and the geopolitical significance will change radically. China, having built the Nicaraguan Canal, seriously and for a long time comes to the American continent, and becomes one of the main players in the region, not to mention economic benefits - it is no coincidence that Chinese investors are showing great interest in the project. The countries of 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, “it will be a geostrategic bomb. China comes to the Americas. And so there his presence 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 borders.”
Do we need it?
China and Nicaragua cannot but be aware of all the risks arising from the neighborhood with disgruntled States. Therefore, by any means they are trying to involve Russia in the project in order to ensure its security. In 2015, Daniel Ortega took the first step - he signed an agreement with Russia, according to which Russian warships will 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 Studies, said in an interview with RT. “The Chinese are well aware that this will be a blow to US interests, with all the ensuing consequences.” Moreover, there have already been precedents in history. “The US has carried out several interventions in Nicaragua to build such a canal,” says Mikhail Belyat. “And in the twentieth century, they carried out interventions so that the canal was not built in Nicaragua, because it becomes an alternative to Panama.”
Whether Russia should 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 the full completion of construction - for 2029. However, at first, farmers, concerned about the loss of their land, got in the way of the project, and construction was postponed for six months. Then, as usual, environmentalists were indignant, and again a delay. Finally, all disputed issues were settled and here 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. On November 6, the presidential elections in Nicaragua, and on November 8 - the President of the United States. 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 low. 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 treaty could be renegotiated."
In turn, Hillary Clinton, according to experts, will not stand on ceremony with Chinese ambitions and will act extremely tough.
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 Ogandzhanov
The world is full of amazing buildings and structures built by the best engineers in history. Among some of the most important structures in human history is the Panama Canal. This shipping channel acts as a bridge between the Pacific and Atlantic zones, which greatly facilitated trade by sea. For example, a ship on a route between San Francisco and New York had to cover 14,000 miles, but the Panama Canal cut that distance down to 6,000 miles. Construction was started by the French in the 19th century, but they were never able to complete the project due to various problems. The American government took over the project in 1904 and completed it a decade later, making history. Now the canal is managed by the government of Panama.
The Panama Canal not only benefits merchants by facilitating the transit of goods, but is also important in terms of tourism. Canal cruises are very popular and if you are planning to visit this area then don't miss the chance to cruise the canal. During such a trip, you will be able to see the many exotic sights of Panama. Travel agencies will offer you hundreds of different cruise packages, including a number of popular ports such as New York, Miami, Los Angeles, New Orleans, etc. This tour will allow you to see some of the most beautiful beaches in the world and visit exotic Panama City. 
In fact, the history of the canal goes back much deeper - to the 16th century. In 1513, the Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa became the first European to notice the extremely thin Isthmus of Panama separating the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Balboa's discovery sparked the search for a natural waterway linking the two oceans. In 1534, after no natural route had been found, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V ordered an investigation into the possibility of building a canal. The inspectors ultimately decided that the construction of a shipping channel in these places was impossible. 
An interesting fact in the history of the Panama Canal is another construction attempt made by the designer of the Suez Canal. No serious construction attempts were made until the 1880s. In 1881 the French company of Ferdinand de Lessep, the designer of the Suez Canal in Egypt, began to dig a canal through Panama. The project was plagued by poor planning, technical problems and tropical diseases that killed thousands of workers. De Lessep intended to build a canal at sea level, in the style of the Suez, without any locks. But the excavation process turned out to be much more difficult than expected. Gustave Eiffel, who designed the famous tower in Paris, was hired to build the locks, but De Lessep's company went bankrupt in 1889. At the time, the French unprofitably invested more than $260 million in construction, excavating more than 70 million cubic meters of earth. 
The collapse of the enterprise caused a big scandal in France. De Lessep and his son Charles, along with Eiffel and several other company executives, were charged with embezzlement, mismanagement and fraud. In 1893 they were found guilty, sentenced to prison and fined. After the scandal, Eiffel retired from business and devoted himself to scientific research. A new French company was formed to take over the bankrupt business and continue the canal, but it soon followed the same path. 
During the 1800s, the United States was also interested in building a canal linking the Atlantic and the Pacific. For both economic and military reasons, they considered Nicaragua to be a better location than Panama. However, this plan was abandoned thanks to the efforts of Philippe-Jean Bounod-Varille, a French engineer who was involved in both French canal projects. In the late 1890s, Buno-Varilla began lobbying American legislators for the purchase of French canal assets in Panama, and eventually convinced many that Nicaragua had dangerous volcanoes and Panama was the less dangerous option. 
In 1902 Congress authorized the purchase of the French assets of the Panama Canal. But Colombia, of which Panama was at the time, refused to ratify the agreement. With the support of Buno-Varilla and the tacit approval of President Theodore Roosevelt, Panama rebelled against Colombia and declared independence. After that, US Secretary of State John Hay and Buno-Varilla, as representative of the provisional government of Panama, agreed on the Hay-Buno-Varilla Agreement, which gave America the right to an area of more than 500 square miles in which to build a canal. The channel, by agreement, was completely transferred to the control of the Americans. It was agreed that the United States would contribute approximately $375 million for construction, including a $10 million payment to Panama, and $40 million to buy French assets. 
A century after the United States completed the Panama Canal, a shipping link through Nicaragua still remains possible: In 2013, a Chinese company announced a $40 billion deal with the Nicaraguan government for the right to build such a waterway. 
More than 25,000 workers officially died during the construction of the Panama Canal. The canal builders faced many obstacles, including difficult terrain, hot, humid weather, heavy rain, and rampant tropical diseases. Earlier French attempts resulted in the death of more than 20,000 workers, and American efforts fared slightly better - between 1904 and 1913 about 5,600 workers died due to disease or accidents. 
Many of these earlier deaths were due to yellow fever and malaria. According to the doctors of that time, these diseases were caused by polluted air and poor conditions. By the early 20th century, however, medical experts had uncovered the key role of mosquitoes as carriers of these diseases, allowing them to greatly reduce the number of deaths among workers. Special sanitary measures were carried out, which included draining swamps and reservoirs, removing possible insect breeding grounds, and installing protective screens on windows in buildings. 
Between 13,000 and 14,000 ships use the canal each year.
American ships use the channel most often, pursued by China, Chile, Japan, Colombia and South Korea. Each vessel transiting the canal must pay a toll based on its size and cargo volume. The toll for the largest ships can be up to around $450,000. The smallest toll ever paid was 36 cents, paid in 1928 by the American adventurer Richard Halliburton, who conquered the canal. Today, approximately $1.8 billion in tolls are collected annually. 
On average, it takes a ship 8 to 10 hours to pass through the canal. Moving through it, the lock system raises each ship 85 feet above sea level. Vessel captains are not allowed to take control during transit; instead, specially trained personnel take control. In 2010, the one millionth ship crossed the canal since it opened. 
The United States transferred control of the canal to Panama in 1999. In the years following the opening of the canal, relations between America and Panama became tense. Questions arose about control over the canal itself and the area adjacent to it. In 1964, the Panamanians rioted because they were not allowed to fly the national flag of Panama next to the US flag in the canal zone. After the uprising, Panama temporarily broke off diplomatic relations with the United States. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter and General Omar Torrijos signed agreements transferring control of the canal to Panama from 1999, but giving the United States the right to use a military force to protect the waterway from any threat to its neutrality. Despite the discontent of many politicians who did not want their country to lose its power over the canal, the US Senate ratified the Torrijos-Carter Accords in 1978. Control was transferred to Panama peacefully in December 1999. 
The channel is currently being expanded to accommodate modern mega-ships. Work on the expansion began in 2007 at a cost of $5.25 billion to allow the canal to receive post-Panamax class vessels. These vessels are larger than the so-called Panamax, built to match the size of the canal. The expanded channel will be able to handle cargo ships carrying 14,000 20-foot containers, nearly three times the current capacity. The expansion project will be completed at the end of 2015, but the canal will still not be able to handle some of the largest container ships.
Approximately 236.4 million liters of fresh water are used for the passage of one ship through the Panama Canal. The water comes from Lake Gatun, formed during the construction of the canal by blocking the Chagres River. With an area of 262 square kilometers, Gatun was once the largest artificial lake in the world.
