This Week: The Panama Canal

Panamax ships are the largest ships that can pass through the Panama Canal.  As mentioned yesterday these ships are really pushing their limit and sometimes have as little as two feet of clearance on each side.  This huge cargo ship is the same one in the previous two pictures.  They move very slowly through the lock system to ensure safety.

But ships are being built today that can no longer fit into the Panama Canal.  These Super-Panamax ships spurred the country of Panama to approve in 2006 an expansion to the canal.  There will be new locks built on the Atlantic and Pacific size that will hold the larger ships and it will double the canal's capacity. The new locks should begin operation around 2015.

Today's Flickr Favorite is a video, but it is appropriate.

Flickr Favorite: 500 Knots on the Houston Ship Channel by OneEighteen