The channel

The Panama Canal was inaugurated the 15 of August of 1914 having undergone since then numerous modifications and extensions. It provides a short and relatively cheap traffic lane between the Atlantic and the Pacific and has influenced world-wide the commercial routes remarkably. A merchant ship that leaves the Eastern coast of the United States in the direction of Japan by the route of the Panama Canal saves about 4,800 km, in comparison with the shortest alternative of a sea lane. A ship that leaves from Colombia towards Europe saves the distance of about 9,000 km.

In its great majority, the traffic through Channel mobilizes between the Atlantic coast of the EE.UU and the East. From its opening more than 700,000 boats they have furrowed its waters. Even though in recent years there has been an increase in the number and the size of the boats that journey, thanks to the execution of designed improvements to respond to the demand of the traffic the time average of permanence of a water boat of the Channel continues being 24 inferior h.

According to the constitution of Panama the channel constitutes an inalienable patrimony of the nation, thus cannot be sold, neither yielded, nor mortgaged.

During the construction of the Channel they were eliminated more than 183 million m ³ of material originally excavated that if it were put in a train, would give to the return to the world four times him. In 1.928 Richard Halliburton swam during 10 days by the Channel paying a toll of $0,36. In January of 1999 the cargo vessel Sisler imposed a mark in tolls when paying $184,114 to cross the Channel.

From the technical point of view, this one is a magnificent engineer installation and one of the majors human profits. From the Atlantic to the Pacific it measures 80 kilometers in length; it has a depth of 12,8 meters in the Atlantic and 13,7 meters in the Pacific; the width is of 91 to 300 meters. It owns two terminal ports, one in each ocean; three games of twin sluices, Miraflores, Gatún and Pedro Miguel, and one of Lagos the artificial majors of the world, the Gatún, that covers 425 kilometers square and it formed by a earth dam constructed through channel of the Chagres river.

The 24 of May of 2006, president Martin Torrijos Hawthorn announced the proposal of the extension of the Panama Canal that will finalize in 2014, by means of the construction of a third game of sluices and the extension of the navigation channel. This project is based on the construction of new sluices, one in Atlantic side and another one in the Pacific side of the Channel, to allow the so large passage of ships Post-Panamax, which, since they surpass the Panamax size, at the moment cannot sail by the interoceanic route. The approximated cost of this work will be of 5,250 million dollars.

If you decide to do them red tape

But in spite of everything you decide to organize it all same you will have to pass the proceedings of customs and immigration whose office is grouped in the same navy.

For it he will need photocopies of each passport, the papers of the boat, the copy of exit “clearance” of the port from where the list of crew members comes and (crew list) whose paper we will fill up in the form of the captainship.

In order to pass immigration in Columbus a photo makes lack for each crew member of card on bottom of blue color (they request therefore it), photocopies of each passport, it photocopies of the page where it appears the seal of the Panamanian visa that they will nothing else have sealed to us to arrive celebrates in it of immigration in navy, and a copy of form of list of crew also obtained in navy. We will have to pay 1$ by each passport.

It will appear yet in the offices of marine subjects to obtain the “Cruising permit” for which we must take 2 you photocopy of each passport, a copy of “boats declaration” that they would have given us in the office of immigration of navy, two copy of the papers of the boat, 2 copies of the list of crew, and the payment of 25$ for boats of less than 10 meters and 69$ for more than 10 meters. It remembers that the bills of 50 and 100$ are not accepted.

By all this they will give to a permission of navigation in territorial waters of Saint and the valid Rep to him them for 3 months.

Now the moment will have arrived for being with the official who will measure the length of his boat. For it we will call by telephone to the authorities of the channel to ask for the measurement whose appointment will take place later for one or two days. For the appointment already it must have obtained the 4 mooring cables strictly speaking. It will verify that it takes a fog siren on board and will warn to him of the necessity to protect the boat with great defenses well.  It is important not to be delayed during the passage of the channel and when they ask to him on the speed which will cross the channel it does not respond that to 5 or 6 naked ones because it will have to pay an additional tax exemption, (besides 850$ of tax exemption stipulated), to understand that at that speed it will delay the convoy of traffic of the channel. It must still respond that it will sail to about 8 knots, knowing it will at the most do that it to 6 knots. The measurement official will give a pile of papers that must present/display in the bank to pay, as well as a number to him of identification of his boat that will be worth to him for other crossings of the channel.

In order to pay we must present/display all the previous documents, as well as the passports. The payment of the tax exemption is better to do it with the visa then simply will not load it to the credit card in case of not to have failed to fulfill the transit. In case of it to have paid in metalist 3 or 4 weeks in entering it in the current account will take that we had indicated. The cost of the transit for smaller boats of 15 meters is of 600$ and the tax exemption that is given back of 850$.

Once made the payment we will be able to call to the authorities of the channel to determine the date of the step that in low season as of May only can be of two days, but in high season of 2 to 3 weeks.

The eve to cross the channel we must fill up “clearance” of exit and remembers that the weekend the governmental offices will be closed. We must buy in the bank 4 seals of 1$ and with them to go to the office of “cruising permit”. The best thing is to request the exit for example to Galápagos via Balboa, which will allow us to remain days to the other side of the channel without having to make a new Clearance in Balboa.

Gatún lake