November 27, 2017

PANAMA CANAL transit

We were up before 6 a.m. to be able to see the outer anchorage holding area where ships wait to enter the Panama Canal. The rain was pouring down, but our stateroom had two umbrellas that we could use. We changed our mind after standing in a drizzle in the open on Deck 11 to going down to Deck 4 which is protected from the rain by the lifeboats housed on Deck 5. The temperature was already 79 F, a light wind was blowing and the humidity was high. The visibly was less than two kilometers. The view of Colon, Panama was “washed out”. We slowly moved toward the inner anchorage holding area passing the breakwater with a flashing green light by the entrance. Sunrise did not improve visibility much, due to the thick dark gray clouds. The pilot boat brought two pilots to the ship for the day long journey through the canal. Bill Fall started his commentary from the navigation deck at 6:30. It was broadcast intermittently throughout the ship in the public areas until we reached Panama City at the Pacific end. We took the opportunity to walked back and forth along the port side of Deck 4 and gauge the severity of the rain. We walked about 4 km sheltered from most of the rain as we watched the view of the land fade then clear. The ship was supposed to start the entry to Gatun’s first lock at 8 but the passage was rescheduled for about 40 minutes later, due to the poor visibility. The rain continued sporadically, mainly as a drizzle until we entered the first lock. It finally stopped when we exited Gatun’s third lock.

We first transited the Panama Canal in late January 2014 from South (the Pacific side) to North (the Caribbean side). [The blog page for that day is: http://mesoamericanjourney2014.blogspot.com/2014/02/normal-0-false-false-false-en-us-x-none_7852.html] At that time the fee for the ship, the Celebrity Century, which carried less than 2,000 passengers, was over US $279,000. It was the year of the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Panama Canal. Back then we could see the construction of the new third set of locks as we journeyed from Panama City northwest to Colon, which is east and north of the Panama City entrance. Yesterday is his presentation I believe Bill Fall said the canal fee for Celebrity Infinity (passenger capacity 2,170) was over US $329,000 plus $50,000 for an appointment for daytime transit.

The third set of locks were officially opened on June 26, 2016 costing over $5 billion American – 25% over budget and two years longer to construct than originally planned in 2007.

The Agua Clara locks are located at the Caribbean Sea (Atlantic Ocean) end of the expanded Panama Canal. The Cocoli Locks are located the Pacific Ocean end. The expansion doubles the shipping capacity of the canal. The expansion included dredging to deepen the waterway for the deeper draft of the larger ships. The canal is constantly dredged to ensure safe passage of the enormous cargo ships, the new NeoPanamax size, that pass through the existing waterway.

The website is http://www.panamacanal.com/map.html gives more information on the Panama Canal.

Last evening passengers were given a leaflet with a brief history of the Panama Canal and information on how it operates. The Republic of Panama has a north coast (Caribbean Sea) and a south coast (Pacific Ocean side). Before entering the set of three locks at Gatun Lock, the ship passed under part of the New Atlantic Bridge which is under construction. It is a suspension bridge, but must be built in sections from its pier pilings which are anchored in the water. No barges or cranes can obstruct the canal. There are sections of platforms hanging from the pier piling that will eventually be joined together sometime in 2018.

Large ships are attached to engines known as “mules”, a name that is holdover from 1914 when actual mules pulled ships through. There is a system of cables that are attached to ship from the mule, our ship had two mules on each side of the bow and two mules on either side of the stern. As the ship reached the point separating the two lanes of the first Gatun Lock, two men in a row boat rowed out to the ship to get four of ship’s ropes thrown down that are then taken ashore and a metal cable is attached to each one and they get winched over to the ship and secured. It is the mule engines on either side that keeps the ship centered in the lane. On the other side of the ship as the ship enters the lane four ropes are expertly thrown up to the ship, which is only two meters away, but the porthole is four decks up. The ropes allow the ship to winch up the steel cables from the mules. The same thing happens when the rear of the ship enters the shorter end of the lane. The mules run on rails along the length of the lock lanes. They are attached by the cables until the last lock gate is opened for the ship to exit the lock chamber. A crew of Panama Canal Authority workers came on the ship to handle the affixing of the mule cables and stayed on the ship to release them when the ship had exited the lock. With drizzle almost ended, people gathered on the upper outside decks 11 and 12 and the sheltered open-air Deck 4 promenade as well as in the lounges and even non-exercisers in the fitness center to the side of the people taking in the view from their stationary bikes and treadmills. The Deck 5 helipad was not opened until after 9:30 when it had been squeegeed free of water. It is normally a crew only area and the doorway was small with a 200-centimeter threshold, where there was one step on either side to climb over and only a 1.3-meter opening. Passengers were allowed there only if they were wearing closed toed shoes.

When we entered the lower east Gatun lock to go south, there were still ships going north in the west lock. In the lower west lock, one of the oil carriers was departing as we entered the lower east lock and there was a different ship in the upper lock for the passage along the three locks – the four oil carriers were the Alpine Madeleine, the Sti Regina, the Silver Rotterdam and the Sti Ruby. We were followed by an automobile carrier, Wallenus Wilhemsen, all day. It took our ship about 90 minutes to pass through the set of three locks to get up to Gatun Lake. When the ship exited Gatun Locks we could see the exit point of the new Aqua Clara locks.

Once through the Gatun locks, the ship anchored for 90 minutes until it had permission to proceed south. We took a break for breakfast and to read the Canadian newsletter. We could see the Caribbean Sea facing Gatun Dam. There were ships going south and going north anchored near us. One was a large NeoPanamax class ship, Yang Ming, was also waiting to go south. Later in the afternoon, we watched it pass through the newer Cocoli Locks at the Pacific end.

We ate lunch in the dining room with five other Canadians. When we passed Gamboa, near the Chagres River, it was after noon. Nearby is the prison which held the former Panamanian dictator, Manuel Noriega, who died in May. On the Chagres River, there is a new road bridge under construction, to replace to old bridge. We could see the foundation piles for its support. We then returned to Deck 4 for the passage through the narrow Culebra Cut through the Continental Divide. Just east of the Continental Divide is a place where the side of the canal slid into the still dry canal near the end of construction and it took over two months to get new equipment to the location to clear it. Dredging is constantly being done to ensure a proper depth for all ships. Our ship led a convoy of four ships. The ship passed under the Centennial Bridge which carries traffic across the canal at the Continental Divide.

Another crew of Panama Canal Authority workers came on the ship to handle the affixing and releasing of the mule cables at Pedro Miguel lock and stayed on the ship to release them when the ship had exited the Miraflores locks. As our ship approached the Pedro Miguel lock the container ship, Yang Ming, could be seen about 500 meters away approaching the Cocoli lock with tugboats assisting her. The new locks do not use the mule engines. We caught up to a 15-meter sailing boat using its motor while in the canal. It occupied the opposite lock along with the automobile carrier and had to wait for lock gates to close behind it before its lock would lower at the Pedro Miguel lock and the two Miraflores locks. Bill announced that since the sailboat did not require any mules, the fee for transit was between US$ 800 and US$ 3,200.

The sun was setting, close to 6 p.m., when we left the Miraflores locks, entering the final channel to the Pacific Ocean passing the Balbao district of Panama City where we passed cargo ships docked, and could see the skyscrapers of Panama City in the background. We also had a great view for the new Cocoli Locks. The ship passed under the Bridge of the Americas which carries traffic from the highway running through Panama as we entered the Pacific Ocean. As we proceeded into the Pacific Ocean, we passed the narrow peninsula leading away from the canal where a colourful collections of buildings stood out. As we reached the Pacific Ocean, we could see the lights of the ships – several dozen – waiting to enter the canal. The canal runs 24 hours seven days a week. The sunset could be seen between the clouds.

It was too late to go to the dining room so we went to the Oceanview Café where the theme this evening was Thai buffet. We met Jan and Doug who joined us for dinner. We went to the theater late for Jason Naistadt’s comedy show, that was very entertaining. Then a short time in the Casino, before calling it a day.

Final steps for the day 14,069

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