Southern Caribbean Cruising — Panama Canal; Agua Clara Locks

The sight you see above is of the third set of locks installed at the Panama Canal. This new series of locks were completed in 2016, supplementing the older lock system completed in 1914. Specifically, these are the Agua Clara locks, and they handle entrance from the Atlantic side of the canal. The impressive bridge in the background is the Puente Atlántico, or Atlantic Bridge. Below is a view from the Atlantic Bridge of the original Gatún locks, which lie west of the expansion locks.

For comparison, here are the single-lane Agua Clara locks.

Whereas the older locks pivot to open and shut, forming a V shape when closed, the new locks operate in an entirely different manner as you can see in these three photos:

Here you see a freighter that has been lifted in the first lock and awaits entry into the next lock as the locks retract:

And here is the same ship now entering the next lock, which will raise it up to the level of Gatún Lake and allow the ship to transit the Isthmus of Panama:

Want to see how the whole operation appears? Here’s a short YouTube video I put together, then sped up to twice normal speed:

More to come on Wednesday. Until then…

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