PANAMA CANAL EXPANSION & CENTENNIAL

June 9, 2014 ~ The second embarkation with the new lock gates arrived!

History is being rewritten all over again at the Panama Canal as it is expanding its capacity to allow for more than double the traffic it currently serves. To be completed in 2015, the project that includes a third set of locks, larger and wider than the existing ones, will cost $5.6 billion (US).

The Panama Canal has played an integral part in history as it provided an option of traveling between the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean’s without having to sail a greater distance and through perilous Cape Horn. Trade and people movement boomed almost a century ago as a result of the opening of the Panama Canal. And now, history and Panama have come together to give people from all over the world an opportunity to see this great modern wonder of the world be enlarged. Read more...

The construction created a lock at the Pacific end (Cocoli) as well as one at the Atlantic end (Agua Clara). Excavation of new channels, along with elevating Gatun Lake for maximum tonnage to pass through, made up a huge part of the construction.

We highly recommend a visit to the new Agua Clara Locks Visitor Center near Colon where you can observe the daily ship traffic of the expanded locks.

Como visit Panama and take a Panama Canal adventure with Ancon Expeditions of Panama. Contact us at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to discuss our tours related to the Panama Canal, or to schedule your trip to Panama.