1 post tagged “miraflores”

We were up at 5 am on the heliport deck to catch the sunrise and watch the Radiance enter Limon Bay prior to entering the first of three Gatun locks.  As a cruise ship, we had priority and passed through numerous freighters waiting their turn.  For the privilege Royal Caribbean paid U$280,000 and another U$20,000 in various service fees.

In combination, the first three locks raise the ship 85 feet from the Atlantic to the level of Gatun Lake. Each lock is 1000 feet long and 110 feet wide.  At 962 feet by 106 feet, the Radiance of the Seas is a tight fit, with at most 2 feet clearance on either side.  The largest ship to transit the Panama Canal was the battleship USS New Jersey - it had only 11 inches to spare. 

The locks work primarily through the flow of water from Gatun Lake to the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.  After entering the first lock, the doors separating us from the Atlantic closed.  Valves connecting the second lock to the first lock opened, allowing water to flow into our lock until levels were equalized.  After sailing into the next lock, the procedure was repeated. Electric 'mules' with 40,000 HP engines control the position of the ships within the locks.

We sailed through Gatun Lake, weaving between islands where the tropical jungle came right to the water's edge.  Gatun Lake covers 163 square miles (425 square kilometers) and requires constant dredging.

We exited the Gatun Lake into the Culebra Cut, a 8.5 mile (13.7 kilometer) channel carved through the shale and rock of the continental divide.  Work is underway to widen the channel in preparation for the Panama Canal expansion.

After passing under the Centennial Bridge, we entered the Pedro Miguel lock.  The last two pictures give a sense of the distance we dropped.

Lastly, we passed through two Miraflores Locks that lowered us a total of 82 feet to the Pacific.  After passing under the Bridge of the Americas, we sailed past Panama City into the Pacific Ocean.
 

The pictures do not properly express the magnitude of the Panama Canal.  Each transit of the Canal requires 50 million gallons of water, one quarter of the daily consumption of Panama City.  On average, 14,000 ships pass through the Panama Canal each year.  Although Panama's heavy rainfall is sufficient to meet current needs, deforestration has reduced the ability of the rain forest to store water during the dry season.  The expansion of the Panama Canal started in 2007 that will increase traffic volumes and also support larger ships will incorporate water recycling to reduce the stress on the watershed.

Day 7 was another sea day, which gave us a chance to go through the 467 pictures we took.  We also had a 'Welcome Back' party hosted by the captain, but unfortunately did not get a picture - you need to bring your own 'film'.  The next port of call is Manta, Ecuador - pictures will be posted tomorrow.