Each of us knows about , which connects the Quiet and Atlantic Ocean s, which allows transport companies to save enormous amounts of time and Money. But even the simplest canal is not just a dug ditch between reservoirs, but a complex technical system of locks. Let's try to understand this issue.
Structure of the Panama CanalThe Panama Canal is a collection of locks, a man-made shipping channel created at the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama in Central America. Since its opening in 1920, the Panama Canal has remained one of the most complex engineering projects in the world.
Any type and size of vessel can pass through this S-shaped isthmus: from a modest yacht to a large tanker. Currently, the channel size has become the standard for ship construction. As a result, thanks to the locks of the Panama Canal, up to 48 ships pass through it per day, and millions of people around the world enjoy this comfort.
So why are locks needed in the Panama Canal? The question is geographical, and the answer is obvious: since the canal consists of several lakes, deepened rivers and man-made canals, and at the same time connects two huge oceans, it is necessary to constantly equalize the water drop along the entire path and regulate the currents. And the difference in water level between the canal and the World Ocean is large - 25.9 m. Depending on the size and tonnage of the vessel, the water level in the lock increases or decreases, thereby creating the necessary conditions for the vessel to move smoothly through the canal.
Features of the Panama Canal locks
There are two groups of locks operating in the canal bed. Each gateway is double-threaded, i.e. can simultaneously transport vessels in oncoming traffic. Although practice shows that ships usually pass in one direction. Each airlock chamber holds a maximum of 101 thousand cubic meters. m. water. Dimensions of the chambers: width 33.53 m, length 304.8 m, minimum depth - 12.55 m. Large vessels are pulled through the locks by special electric locomotives (“mules”). So, the main gateways of the Panama Canal are:
- Set in direction from the Atlantic Ocean three-chamber gateway "Gatun" (Gatun), connecting the same name with Limon Bay. Here the locks lift ships 26 m to lake level. The gateway has a camera installed, the image from which you can watch in real time on the Internet.
- On the Pacific side it works two-chamber gateway "Miraflores" (Miraflores) It connects the main canal bed with Panama Bay. His first airlock also has a video camera.
- Single-chamber gateway "Pedro Miguel" (Pedro Miguel) operates in conjunction with the Miraflores gateway system.
- Since 2007, work has been underway to expand the channel and install additional gateways to increase the capacity of the Panama Canal (third line). New parameters of the third line: length 427 m, width 55 m, depth 18.3 meters. Work is also underway to expand and deepen the main fairway in order to still accommodate the oncoming movement of ships. It is expected that from 2017 the channel will be able to carry double load.
How to look at the Panama Canal locks?
A highway and a railway line run along the entire canal. You can independently and free of charge follow any vessel and get acquainted with the canal system from afar. You can also buy tourist tour for the same purpose.
The Miraflores Gateway is considered accessible to tourists. You can take a taxi to it or buy a bus ticket for 25 cents, and as a group, drive as close to the gateway as possible to get to know its work. includes museum entry ($10) and access to observation deck, where information about the operation of the gateway is announced over a loudspeaker in real time.
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 vessels of all types to pass through, from private yachts to huge tankers and container ships. Maximum size a vessel that can pass through the Panama Canal has become a de facto standard in shipbuilding, receiving the name 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- 48 ships 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. Interested parties in France and the United States now saw the only way out for the state of Panama to break away from Colombia and, as an independent state, formalize 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 lands 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 delegation of Panama 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: they received from Panama pacific islands- Margaritas, 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. Along the canal route between the cities of Panama and Colon is laid highway and the railway.
Payments for channel passage
Canal tolls are officially collected by the Panama Canal Authority, a government agency of 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, offering to carry out the necessary work for $3 billion 118 million 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)
- Panama Canal webcams
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 at the edges 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. Capacity is 49 sea 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 involve construction 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 sail from the Atlantic to Pacific Ocean in just a few hours, it was called "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 supervised the construction 10 years ago Suez Canal 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 had to be leveled and deepened to the level of the world's oceans. But this presented a 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 passenger airliners. 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, 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 back in the 16th century and belonged to to the Spanish king Charles V. In those distant times, they were going to build a canal through 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: 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. Also interested in the emergence of an alternative route from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean are the countries of the Asia-Pacific region and Latin America. 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
To visit Panama and not see the Panama Canal means not to have visited Panama. Today we talk about this attraction, and also share tips on how best to visit the Panama Canal on your own.
Panama Canal. Data.
For those who have never been particularly interested in the Panama Canal, it may seem like a small stream that connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. In fact, its length is about 80 km, which ships travel in 8-10 hours. Until recently, the width of the canal at the lock points was 34 meters. Thanks to the opening of a new branch in June 2016, the canal can now accommodate ships with a width of 55 meters and a depth below the waterline of more than 18 meters.
The canal consists of a system of locks (gates), which, if moving from the Caribbean Sea, first raises the water level by 26 meters above sea level in the Gatun area. After passing the main part, the water level is lowered using the Pedro Miguel lock (9.5 meters) and the Miraflores lock system (two chambers 16.5 meters). 
The electrification of the site was carried out, among other things, with the help of two hydroelectric power plants with a capacity of 22.5 and 36 MW, located in Gatun and near Miraflores. 
History of the construction of the Panama Canal.
The idea of building a canal was first mentioned in the 16th century, and the history of its approval and construction was accompanied by political and economic confrontations in countries such as the USA, Spain, Great Britain, and France. Now they are going to dig a similar canal through Nicaragua: the project was adopted relatively recently - in 2014.
In 1879, the developer of the Suez Canal, French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps, began a campaign to build the Panama Canal. As a result, the French arrived in Panama in 1881 and began excavation work in 1882. Thus, 1882 can be considered the beginning of the construction of the canal. 
The original plan was to build a canal 22 meters wide and 9 meters deep. Interestingly, the project did not include a lock system: the canal was supposed to naturally connect two oceans to the same sea level, which meant cutting off the isthmus and deep excavations. In addition to engineering difficulties, construction was complicated by the yellow fever epidemic, the financial crisis, and a legal scandal in which many politicians, including Ferdinand, were accused of accepting bribes.
As a result, the project was bought by the Americans, who made the key decision to use a lock system to reduce excavation work. Over seven years, 153 million cubic meters of earth were excavated in dry mining. The work also included drilling and blasting rocks.
To increase the depth of the canal, various techniques were used, including ships. This vessel was specially built in Scotland and began work in 1912. A chain with 52 buckets made it possible to excavate more than 1,000 tons of material in less than 40 minutes. 
On October 10, 1913, US President Wilson ordered by telegraph to blow up the remaining small part of the land that separated the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The first ship to pass through the canal while still in operation was the floating crane Alexandre Le Valle. This happened in January 1914. In August of the same year, its path was repeated by the cargo and passenger ship Cristobal. The official opening of the canal is considered to be August 15, 1914 and the passage of the cargo ship Ancon.
How to visit the Panama Canal.
Few people know that the passage of ships through the Panama Canal can be seen in several places: in Colon (Gatun Gate) and near Panama City (Miraflores Gate). Gatun has the advantage of being cheap to visit and lacking crowds of tourists. On the other hand, these advantages are completely outweighed by the disadvantages. Colon is one of the most dangerous cities in Panama. We are often skeptical about horror stories from Lonely Planet, where it is also written that you should not go to Colon, so at first we planned to visit it. However, after talking with the locals, we abandoned this idea. Colon turned out to be really dangerous, and we were told that even at the station there was a possibility of robbery. “It depends,” summed up one of our random local fellow travelers.
If you have plenty of time in Panama, you can take a boat trip through the canal. Eat commercial offers, but you can also volunteer on a yacht waiting in line. There are special sites where yacht owners look for a crew. According to Panamanian law, any ship must have four mooring crew, and their services are not cheap - from $50, so captains and owners are looking for adventure seekers. You can google Panama canal transit line handlers or look at the website http://www.panlinehandler.com/. We even had the option of couchsurfing on such a yacht, but, unfortunately, it didn’t suit the dates at all. 
There is also the opportunity to ride a special train along the canal. It’s hard for us to say what you can see from him there to pay pretty decent money. 
In the end, we went, like most, to Miraflores. You can get there from Albrook station, which is probably familiar to tourists arriving in Panama City on their own. The bus to Miraflores leaves every hour at 00 (exit F), and, lo and behold, the sign says Miraflores (usually logistics in Panama are not so simple). The bus takes you all the way to the Miraflores complex; entrance tickets cost $15 for non-residents and $10 for children. 
Despite the technical possibility of simultaneous servicing of ships in two directions, in the morning the ships go towards the Caribbean Sea (Atlantic), and in the afternoon back towards the Pacific Ocean. The channel is recommended for visiting from 9.00 to 11.00 and then after 13.00. We were late for the first period due to problems with breakfast at the hotel. We managed to pass the time a little by visiting the museum and watching a short film about the construction of the Panama Canal. The session in English starts every hour at 50, in Spanish – at 20 minutes.
The museum complex includes a souvenir shop, as well as a museum with an exhibition, where the most interesting was the video of the passage of the canal from the captain's wheelhouse. 
Despite all this entertainment, we had to wait about three more hours for the ships to pass. Meanwhile, local personnel, using loudspeakers, told some facts about the canal, and also informed about the probable time of arrival of the ship. In general, at first it was interesting to listen to, and people with a bullhorn said that it was not the season, but then this record began to really tire and irritate. In our case, the movement was supposed to start at two o’clock, but in fact it happened even later – at three. 
There are several opportunities to watch ships. Firstly, there is a large deck on the 4th floor. From there we watched as pleasure boats with tourists who paid $150 per ticket passed the canal from the middle. 
On the second floor there is a small amphitheater with stadium-style seating. We had to wait another three hours, so we landed there. True, we were tormented by doubts whether everyone would sit so decorously during the passage of the ships. The center workers assured that this would be the case. Naive... Closer to three people kept coming and coming, and simply stood near the fence. 
Just before their arrival, workers with a bullhorn tried to reason with the people, but after unsuccessful attempts they quickly retreated. We deliberately took places on the edge so that in case of emergency we would have a view towards the approaching ships. But the smartest spectators stood on the steps and could not be moved. So every now and then I had to get up to take a photo or even go downstairs and brazenly squeeze through. 
Probably the best option for observations is the cafe on the third floor. But we don’t know how to book a table and wait, and what the general policy is in this regard.
And then everyone perked up. In the speakers, we heard about the approaching ship. Everyone started clicking their cameras despite the fact that the ship still had a long way to go. 
The passage of the ship is certainly interesting and fascinating. The ship enters the lock chamber and stops, after which the first gate closes behind it. 
Then the water is pumped out of the chamber, and the ship quietly sinks with it. From the photographs you can see for yourself the initial and final results. As we have already written, the total drop at this gate is 16.5 meters. 
When the water level in the two chambers becomes the same, the gate in front of the ship opens and it moves into the next chamber. Locomotives or “mules”, as they are called here, help the ship move inside the canal. 
The last gate the ship passes far enough from observation deck, according to the same scenario as the previous gate, so almost no one paid attention to this. 
Thus, we were able to see how the three ships sailed. It was impressive. We spent almost a day here and got a little tired from the heat, the waiting, the people who couldn't sit still, but it was still worth it. We went to Panama Bay to have dinner by the ocean, and along the way we even managed to overtake a ship we were already familiar with. 
