Lake Gatun News

The El Nino climate phenomenon, not climate change, drove lower rainfall last year that reduced the Panama Canal's water levels and contributed to shipping restrictions that disrupted global trade, a study released on Wednesday found.Prioritizing water for human consumption rather than for the canal also played a role in shipping restrictions, according to the study by research consortium World Weather Attribution.Panama experienced its third-driest year on record in 2023, leading…

The Panama Canal Authority (PCA) forced a Greek-registered tanker to abandon a transit of the Panama Canal on April 18 after waterway workers noticed the ship was leaking crude oil. PCA employees spotted that the 749-ft. Antipoli was leaking oil through two half-inch holes in its hull during a southbound transit of Gatun Locks. The vessel was anchored in Lake Gatun to enable PCA firemen to make temporary repairs, while the ship's operators transferred oil to a separate tank to prevent further seepage. The PCA is investigating the cause of the spillage, which did not affect waterway operations.

The man-made chasm, large enough to swallow the Titanic whole, yawns before him. To reach the bottom takes an elevator, a hard hat and no fear of heights. But for Ivan Lasso, superintendent of the Panama Canal's Pacific locks, entering the void is all in a day's work. The huge 85-year-old lock chambers need a routine overhaul. When the locks were hand-poured in 1913, they were the largest reinforced concrete structures ever, allowing engineers to dream up skyscrapers they would later build in Manhattan. Tall as a six-story building, the 700-ton riveted steel Miter gates - 88 in all in the 50-mile (82 km) canal's three flights of locks - established Pittsburgh as a steel town.