How does the Panama Canal work?

The Panama Canal is a lock-type canal, approximately 80 kilometers long, that unites the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans at one of the narrowest points of both the Isthmus of Panama and the American continent. The canal officially opened its doors to international trade on august 15, 1914, and since then, over 874.000 vessels have transited the waterway.

The Canal's three sets of locks, each of which has two lanes, serve as water lifts which elevate ships 26 meters above sea level to Gatun Lake. Here they cross the Continental Divide, to then be lowered back to sea level on the opposite side of the Isthmus. During these lockages, which use water obtained from Gatun Lake, the miter gates seal the locks chambers and gravity drains the water to the lower levels. Approximately 197 million liters of fresh water are used for each lockage and ultimately flushed into the sea. Each set of locks features a Control House on the center wall of its higher chamber, from which this entire operation is directed.

Though vessels use their own propulsion for the greater part of their Panama Canal transit, they are assisted, when passing through the locks, by electric locomotives which use cables to align and tow the ships. Working in pairs, locomotives move on rails and keep the vessels in position within the locks chambers. Depending on its size, a vessel can require the assistance of four to eight locomotives.

The 12.6 kilometer Gaillard or Culebra Cut is the narrowest stretch in the Panama Canal, representing 15 percent of the waterway's total length. The Cut, extending from the Pedro Miguel Locks to Gamboa, crosses the Continental Divide.