The Panama Canal locks (Spanish: Esclusas del Canal de Panamá) are a lock system that lifts ships up 85 feet (26 metres) to the main elevation of the Panama Canal and lowers them down again. The original canal had a total of six steps (three up, three down) for a ship's passage.

Jan 23, 2025 · The canal locks operate by gravity flow of water from Gatún, Alajuela, and Miraflores lakes, which are fed by the Chagres and other rivers. The locks themselves are of uniform length, width, and depth and were built in pairs to permit the simultaneous transit of vessels in either direction.

The Panama Canal pretty much follows the course of the Chagres River between the Gatun Locks and the town of Gamboa. As you will see later during your transit, dredging operations are nearly full-time in order to safely satisfy the draught requirements of the neo-Panamax vessels.

For those who have taken a norwegian panama canal cruise, I am not clear on what happens at the port identified on the itinerary as Panama Canal/Gatun Lake. What I think I understand is that the ship goes through some locks to Gatun Lake and then back out again?

Gatun Locks consists of three steps or pairs of chambers, there is one step at Pedro Miguel and two at Miraflores, making six pairs, 12 chambers in all. The locks have been called the structural triumph of the Panama Canal and are a unique aspect of the waterway.

Feb 27, 2024 · Ships entering the Panama Canal from the Atlantic enter the first of three Gatun Locks, where the massive chamber fills with 26.7 million gallons of water. To fill the chamber with water and raise the ship, the miter gates and lower lock …

The Gatún Locks are set along the Caribbean side of Panama to the west of Colón. These massive locks are the largest in the Panama Canal. As you watch ships pass through the locks’ chambers, it’s easy to understand why the Panama Canal …

Jun 17, 2023 · On the Pacific side, the lock system features the two-chambered Miraflores Locks and the one-chambered Pedro Miguel Locks, while the three-chambered Gatun Locks sit on the Atlantic Side of the Panama Canal.

Engineers test one of two scale models of the Gatun spillway. Shortly after the United States had completed construction, the Canal’s success was portrayed in opposition to the French who had failed in their attempt to dig a canal across Panama in the 1880s.

The impressive Gatún Locks, 10km south of Colón, raise southbound ships 30m from Caribbean waters to Lago Gatún. Just the size of them is mind-boggling: three sets of double lock chambers stretch on for 3km. Each chamber could have accommodated the Titanic with room to spare.