![Passenger cruise ship in the Panama Canal.[Credits : Joe Viesti/Viesti Associates, Inc.]](http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/81/13081-003-ABA04313.gif)
Ships are taken through the canal by one or more pilots, who board each ship before it leaves the terminus. With waiting time, ships may require about 15 to 20 hours to negotiate the canal. The average transit time, once a vessel has been authorized to proceed, is about 9 hours from deep water to deep water. When Gaillard Cut is not being dredged, canal traffic generally proceeds in both directions. The heavy rainfall of Panama makes operation feasible despite the irrevocable loss of large quantities of water with each transit. To conserve water, two or more vessels moving in the same direction are passed through together when their size permits.
Each ship is also boarded by measurers to verify its carrying capacity and to collect tolls. Manifests, ships’ papers, and other documents are inspected and recorded. Transits are scheduled and monitored at points along the route by an automated marine traffic control system.
Container-ship-in-the-Pedro-Miguel-Locks-Panama-CanalContainer ship in the Pedro Miguel Locks, Panama Canal.[Credits : © Spectrum Colour Library/Heritage-Images]
The-Panama-CanalThe Panama Canal.[Credits : Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]
[Credits : Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]
Aerial-view-of-the-Pedro-Miguel-Locks-of-the-PanamaAerial view of the Pedro Miguel Locks of the Panama Canal. In the forefront a container ship exits …[Credits : Panama Canal Authority]
Passenger-cruise-ship-in-the-Panama-CanalPassenger cruise ship in the Panama Canal.[Credits : Joe Viesti/Viesti Associates, Inc.]
Map-of-central-Panama-from-the-10th-edition-of-EncyclopaediaMap of central Panama (c. 1900), from the 10th edition of Encyclopædia …[Credits : Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]
Dredges-working-on-the-Culebra-Cut-during-construction-of-theDredges working on the Culebra Cut (later known as the Gaillard Cut) during construction of the …[Credits : Panama Canal Authority]
The-Pedro-Miguel-Locks-raise-or-lower-ships-on-theThe Pedro Miguel Locks raise or lower ships on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal.[Credits : © Robert Frerck from TSW—CLICK/Chicago]
Since its opening in 1914, the Panama Canal has linked the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.[Credits : Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]
Over the years, a number of treaties were needed for the building and subsequent use of the Panama …[Credits : Acquired from Vast Video]
The lock system of the Panama Canal was truly a technological marvel for its time, and remains so …[Credits : Acquired from Vast Video]
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