Panama Canal in Central America is one of the must- visit- destinations for any tourist. This Canal was cut through one of narrowest saddles of the isthmus that joins North and South America. All round the year visitors from all over the globe come to view this magnificent piece of engineering marvel. Individuals love to view the Panama Canal in its full splendor when vessels of different sizes move through its complex lock systems. The Panama Canal was opened for transit to the public in 1914. Since then uncountable people have passed from one ocean to another to reach their destination.

The Panama Canal is about 50 miles long and used mainly by five countries which are United States, People’s Republic of china, Japan, Chile and South Korea. This practical shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean has influenced world trade patterns and brought about a progress in the remote areas of the world. Three sets of locks are set en route the canal namely The Gatun, Pedro Miguel and the Miraflores locks. Ships of various sizes are built to pass through the three sets of double locks that make up the waterway. However the maximum sized ship that can pass through here is known as the Panamax. Visitors at the Mira Flores Locks can view the amazing scene of the transiting ships at special viewing pavilions. Trained guides are available to give you detailed information and statistics about the Panama Canal. Tourist can enjoy full or partial transit through the canal to experience the absorbing vessel operations. One of the best transit tours is the Pacific queen tour whereon you can view the big ships transiting and the locks operating. One can feel the vessel going up and down from one ocean to the other.

With the growing sea traffic and size of modern ships a mega project for the expansion of the canal has been proposed. The Panama Canal Authority has proposed ‘the third set of locks project’ to expand the canal’s capacity to double. This project will help create a new traffic lane along the Panama Canal by constructing new locks one on the Atlantic side and one on the Pacific side. The cost to construct the third set of locks is estimated by the ACP at 5.25 billion approximately. As per the ACP the construction of the Panama canals third set of locks would take up to seven to eight years. Operations should begin by the year 2014 and 2015.