Panamax ships are the absolute maximum size of ship the Panama Canal can handle (eg: PANAma canal MAXimum). [0]
Edit: Obviously, the canal is now larger. So Panamax in this case refers to ships that maxed out the old maximum size.
Edit: Obviously, the canal is now larger. So Panamax in this case refers to ships that maxed out the old maximum size.
The original two lock lanes were built in 1917, and they were built big for the time. But bigger ships are now available and won't fit. So the Panama Canal Authority just finished a third lock lane, with longer, wider, and deeper locks, for larger ships.[2] There were problems with the new construction, including serious leaks in the concrete. But the new locks open for business in 10 days.
Here's good drone imagery of the new locks being used by a ship for the first test run.[3]
If you're really into this, here's a video of the basic operational procedures for using the new locks.[4] A maximum sized, fully loaded container ship pays about $1M in tolls for each transit. That's about $85 per container. There's a loyalty program for regular customers, with discounts.
[1] http://www.canalmuseum.com/canalphotos/panamax.htm [2] http://micanaldepanama.com/expansion/ [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xA2TyFxbH9Q [4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrQrKAku3e0
The water in the lake is only refilled during Panama's rainy season, and drought conditions in recent years have on occasion made it necessary to put restrictions on the ships transiting the system.[1]
Those huge basins next to the new locks in the video are a water cycling system. They aim to capture a significant percentage of the water as they cycle the locks and then re-use it, rather than just draining the lakes.
[1] http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/business/panama-canal-re...
Is there a plan to enlarge at least one of the existing lanes, once the new lane is open?
I love how it refers to the "high mast lighting" [1] as "high mast lightNing" in both the speech and on-screen text.
I guess they're not all native speakers (neither am I, to be clear). It's kind of a "honey pot" in English that I somehow tend to be sensitive to. :)