THE PANAMA CANAL
THE PANAMA CANAL FACTS
1. Opened in 1914 and The United States transferred control of the canal to Panama in 1999
2. Ships sailing between the east and west coasts of the United States, shorten their voyage by about 8,000 nautical miles by using the canal.
3. More than 60 million pounds of dynamite was used to excavate and construct the canal.
4. Nearly 20,000 French and 6,000 American workers died during the completion of the Panama Canal.
5. On average, it takes a ship 8 to 10 hours to pass through the canal. While moving through it, a system of locks raises each ship 85 feet above sea level.
6. Ship captains aren’t allowed to transit the canal on their own; instead, a specially trained canal pilot takes navigational control of each vessel to guide it through the waterway.
7. In 2010, the 1 millionth vessel crossed the canal since it first opened in 1914.
8. The United States uses the canal the most, followed by China, Japan, Chile and North Korea.
9. The Canal transports 4 percent of world trade and 16 percent of total U.S.-borne trade.
10. In 1928 American adventurer Richard Halliburton swam the length of the Panama Canal. All vessels crossing the canal must pay a toll based on their weight, and Halliburton was no different. His rate? A whopping 36 cents.
11. In 1963 florescent lighting was installed, allowing the canal to begin operating 24 hours a day.
12. Between 12,000 and 15,000 ships cross the Panama Canal every year – about 40 a day.
13. The fastest transit was completed in 2 hours 41 minutes by the U.S. Navy’s Hydrofoil Pegasus in 1979.
14. Early planners of the canal wisely thought ahead, anticipating that the width of cargo ships would probably increase in the future. However, modern-day cargo ship widths in general are now exceeding that so-called “Panamax” benchmark, thus there are strict limits on which ships can fit through the locks. An expansion to double the waterway’s capacity was completed in 2014.
15. 2019--The container ship Triton set a record as the biggest vessel to date to cross the expanded Panama Canal
16. May 2018-168,028-ton Norwegian Cruise Line ship traveled through the Panama Canal becoming the largest-ever passenger vessel to traverse the narrow waterway.
17. The most expensive regular toll for canal passage to date was charged on April 14, 2010 to the cruise ship Norwegian Pearl, which paid US$375,600. The average toll is around US$54,000
2. Ships sailing between the east and west coasts of the United States, shorten their voyage by about 8,000 nautical miles by using the canal.
3. More than 60 million pounds of dynamite was used to excavate and construct the canal.
4. Nearly 20,000 French and 6,000 American workers died during the completion of the Panama Canal.
5. On average, it takes a ship 8 to 10 hours to pass through the canal. While moving through it, a system of locks raises each ship 85 feet above sea level.
6. Ship captains aren’t allowed to transit the canal on their own; instead, a specially trained canal pilot takes navigational control of each vessel to guide it through the waterway.
7. In 2010, the 1 millionth vessel crossed the canal since it first opened in 1914.
8. The United States uses the canal the most, followed by China, Japan, Chile and North Korea.
9. The Canal transports 4 percent of world trade and 16 percent of total U.S.-borne trade.
10. In 1928 American adventurer Richard Halliburton swam the length of the Panama Canal. All vessels crossing the canal must pay a toll based on their weight, and Halliburton was no different. His rate? A whopping 36 cents.
11. In 1963 florescent lighting was installed, allowing the canal to begin operating 24 hours a day.
12. Between 12,000 and 15,000 ships cross the Panama Canal every year – about 40 a day.
13. The fastest transit was completed in 2 hours 41 minutes by the U.S. Navy’s Hydrofoil Pegasus in 1979.
14. Early planners of the canal wisely thought ahead, anticipating that the width of cargo ships would probably increase in the future. However, modern-day cargo ship widths in general are now exceeding that so-called “Panamax” benchmark, thus there are strict limits on which ships can fit through the locks. An expansion to double the waterway’s capacity was completed in 2014.
15. 2019--The container ship Triton set a record as the biggest vessel to date to cross the expanded Panama Canal
16. May 2018-168,028-ton Norwegian Cruise Line ship traveled through the Panama Canal becoming the largest-ever passenger vessel to traverse the narrow waterway.
17. The most expensive regular toll for canal passage to date was charged on April 14, 2010 to the cruise ship Norwegian Pearl, which paid US$375,600. The average toll is around US$54,000