Cargo Ships in the Panama Canal

Heavy traffic with many cargo ships on their south bound Panama Canal transit in the Miraflores Locks, today December 30 2011.

Cargo Ships in the Panama Canal

Cruise Ship Europa

 Here we see the Cruise Ship Europa in her south bound Panama Canal Transit leaving the Pedro Miguel Locks and in the background we can see the work on the Panama Canal Expansion. Image taken today Dec. 25 2011.


Cruise Ship Europa
Built:     1999
Category: 5-stars plus (rated by Berlitz Cruise Guide 2012)
Passenger decks: 7
Passenger capacity: 408
Suites: 36 outside suites à 27 sqm
152 outside suites with veranda à 27 sqm
4 SPA Suites with veranda à 27 sqm
10 Penthouse Deluxe Suites à 45 sqm
2 Penthouse Grand Suites à 83 sqm
Total of 204 suites
Crew:     285
Language on board: German

Cruise Ship Europa

The ms Amsterdam Cruise Ship

Here we see the ms Amsterdam cruise ship on her north bound Panama Canal transit today December 15 2011 in the Miraflores Locks.

Ship Facts
Ship's Registry:  The Netherlands
Passenger capacity:  1,380
Crew members:  615
Length:  780 feet
Beam:  105.8
Maximum speed:  22.5 knots

The ms Amsterdam Cruise Ship

Titan Floating Crane Panama Canal

Here we see the Titan Floating Crane doing some Maintenance Work on the Locks Doors in Miraflores, Panama Canal, today Dec. 12 2011.

Titan Floating Crane

Queen Victoria Cruise Ship

Here we see the Queen Victoria Cruise Ship in the Miraflores Locks on her south bound Panama Canal Transit today December 11 2011 on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

Queen Victoria Cruise Ship

Regatta Cruise Ship

Here we see the Regatta Cruise Ship on her south bound Panama Canal transit entering the Pedro Miguel locks today on a rainy day December 5th 2011.

    Year Built: 1998
    Year Refurbished: 2011
    Gross Tonnage: 30,277
    Length: 593.7 feet
    Beam: 83.5 feet
    Max. Draught: 19.5 feet
    Stabilizers: Yes
    Cruising Speed: 18 knots

    Electric Power or Voltage: 110,220 AC
    Guest Capacity (double occupancy): 684
    Crew Size: 400
    Guest-to-Staff Ratio: 1.71 to 1
    Nationality of Officers: European
    Nationality of Staff: European
    Country of Registry: Marshall Islands

Regatta Cruise Ship

MS Rotterdam R class cruise ship

MS Rotterdam R class cruise ship

Here we see the MS Rotterdam R class cruise ship from the Holland America Line today on a rainyn November 28th 2011 in her south bound Panama Canal transir in the Miraflkores Locks. Today the 28th of November is also the Independence of Panama from Spain.

Cruise and Cargo Ships in the Panama Canal

Here we see the Celebrity Infinity cruise ship and a car carrier cargo ship in the Panama Canal in the area of Gamboa where the Panama Canal dredging division is located.

Cruise and Cargo Ships in the Panama Canal

Westerdam Cruise Ship

Here we see the Westerdam Cruise Ship on her north bound Panama Canal transit leaving the Gatun Locks and heading to the Atlantic Ocean today on a rainy November 9 2011.

Westerdam Cruise Ship

Zuiderdam Partial Panama Canal Transit

Here we see the Zuiderdam cruise ship in the Gatun Locks today October 31 2011 in here partial Panama Canal transit, she enters Lake Gatun and then heads back out later today to the Atlantic again.

Zuiderdam cruise ship

The MS Statendam - Panama Canal

Here we see the The MS Statendam on a south bound Panama Canal transit. This image was taken last year.

The MS Statendam
Class and type: S class cruise ship
Decks: 12
Capacity: 1,258 passengers
Crew: 557

The MS Statendam

Seabourn Sojourn Panama Canal

Here we see the Seabourn Sojourn cruise ship in the Pedro Miguel Locks in front of the Panama Canal expansion works of what will become the new Atlantic Panama Canal Locks and access. This image of the Seabourn Sojourn is taken today October 25th 2011 as we see her on her south bound Panama Canal transit.

Seabourn Sojourn Cruise Ship

Norwegian Star Panama Canal Video

Here we can see a short video of the Norwegian Star Cruise Ship on her north bound Panama Canal Transit October 11 2011.

Celebrity Infinity and Zuiderdam Cruise Ships

Here we see the Celebrity Infinity and Zuiderdam Cruise Ships in the Gatun Locks of the Panama Canal, the  Zuiderdam Cruise Ship is doing a partial transit and the Celebrity Infinity Cruise Ship is on her south bound Panama Canal transit, today October 18 2012.

Celebrity Infinity and Zuiderdam Cruise Ships

Gatun Locks Panama Canal

UASC United Arab Shipping Company

Here we see a huge container cargo ship from the UASC United Arab Shipping Company in her south bound Panama Canal transit in the area of Gamboa.

container cargo ship

container cargo ship

Norwegian Star Cruise Ship

Here we see the Norwegian Star Cruise Ship on her North Bound Panama Canal Transit today October 11 2011, there are 3 images one taken at the Miraflores Locks, one with the old Bridge over the Chagres in Gamboa and the last about the area of Gamboa where the Dredging Department is located. A cruise ship like the Norwegian Star pays over 400 000 US Dollars to cross the Panama Canal in tolls.

Norwegian Star Cruise Ship

Norwegian Star Cruise Ship in Gamboa

Norwegian Star Cruise Ship

Norwegian Pearl - Jewel-class cruise ship

Here we see the Norwegian Pearl on her north bound Panama Canal transit today on October 10 2011 leaving the Miraflores Locks and heading to the Pedro Miguel Locks.

Norwegian Pearl

And here in the second image the Norwegian Pearl is leaving the Gatun Locks in Colon, heading to the Atlantic Ocean.

Norwegian Pearl

Name:     Norwegian Pearl
Owner:     Norwegian Cruise Line
Class and type: Jewel-class cruise ship
Decks: 15
Capacity: 2394 passengers
Crew: 1100 crew

The Island Princess Opening The Cruise Ship Season in the Panama Canal

Here we see the Island Princess, operated by Princess Cruises line, in her north bound Panama Canal transit today October 5th 20212 in the Miraflores Locks. This date also marks the opening of the Cruise ships season in the Panama Canal in wich over 200 cruise ships will cross the Canal in bother directions and some just do a partical transit mostly from the Atlantic side, passing the Gatun Locks and visiting the Gatun Lake before heading back out into the Caribbean.

The Island Princess Cruise Ship

Island Princess
Passenger Capacity: 1,970
Registry: Bermuda
Length: 964’

Panama Canal sets tonnage record

La Prensa reports here: "According to preliminary data, the Panama Canal has set a record for tonnage during the last fiscal year, which ended Friday.

During the year, the tonnage that transited the Canal was 322.1 million tons, which is the highest of all time.

The figure marked an increase of 7.1 percent compared to the 300.8 million tons that transited the Canal in the 2009-10 fiscal year. The previous record was 312.9 tons in 2007."

Panama Canal - Miraflores Locks

Ever Reward Container Cargo Ship

Here we see the huge container cargo ship Ever Reward from Evergreen in the Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal in her north bound Canal Transit.

Container Cargo Ship

Ella Claire Cargo Ship - Canal Tolls

Here we see the Ella Claire cargo ship registered in Panama in her North Bound Panama Canal transit.

Ella Claire Cargo Ship

From Wikipedia: Tolls for the canal are decided by the Panama Canal Authority and are based on vessel type, size, and the type of cargo carried.

For container ships, the toll is assessed per the ship's capacity expressed in twenty-foot equivalent units or TEUs. One TEU is the size of a container measuring 20 feet (6.1 m) by 8 feet (2.44 m) by 8.5 feet (2.6 m). Effective May 1, 2009, this toll is US$72.00 per TEU. A Panamax container ship may carry up to 4,400 TEU. The toll is calculated differently for passenger ships and for container ships carrying no cargo (“in ballast”). As of May 1, 2009, the ballast rate is US$57.60 per TEU.

Passenger vessels in excess of 30,000 tons (PC/UMS), known popularly as cruise ships, pay a rate based on the number of berths, that is, the number of passengers that can be accommodated in permanent beds. The per-berth charge is currently $92 for unoccupied berths and $115 for occupied berths. Started in 2007, this charge has greatly increased tolls for such vessels. Passenger vessels of less than 30,000 tons or with less than 33 tons per passenger are charged on the same "per-ton" schedule as freighters.

Most other types of vessel pay a toll per PC/UMS net ton, in which one "ton" is actually a volume of 100 cubic feet (2.83 m3). (The calculation of tonnage for commercial vessels is quite complex.) As of fiscal year 2008, this toll is US$3.90 per ton for the first 10,000 tons, US$3.19 per ton for the next 10,000 tons, and US$3.82 per ton for the next 10,000 tons, and US$3.76 per ton thereafter. As with container ships, a reduced toll is charged for freight ships "in ballast".

Cargo Ship in the Miraflores Locks

Regatta Cruise Ship Panama Canal

Regatta Cruise Ship

Here we see the Regatta Cruise Ship this morning September 21 2011 in the Miraflores Locks in her North Bound Panama Canal transit. The Regatta Cruise ship pays over 140000 US Dollars for her transit from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. You can also download this cruise ship image for free as computer desktop wallpaper here.

Veendam Cruise Ship Panama Canal Transit Time-lapse Video

From Youtube: Veendam Chief Officer Jochem Bakker has made another time-lapse video of the ship transiting the Panama Canal. He managed to tape the entire transit, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, which takes most of a day in real time.



For more information on cruise through the Panama Canal, visit:
http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise-destinations/panama-canal-cruises

Tug Boats Spraying Water In The Panama Canal

Tug Boats Spraying Water In The Panama Canal in the area of Gamboa.

Tug Boats Spraying Water In The Panama Canal

The Crystal Symphony Cruise Ship

The Crystal Symphony Cruise Ship

The Crystal Symphony Cruise Ship

Here we see the The luxurious 50,000-ton, 940-guest Six-Star Crystal Symphony cruise ship on her north bound Panama Canal transit, once in the miraflores Locks and once around the area of Gamboa.

The Crystal Symphony

Guest Capacity 940
Total Crew: 545
Length 781 ft. (238.0 m)

Dawn Princess Cruise Ship Panama Canal

Here we see an image from the Dawn Princess Cruise ship's onboard online camera on her south bound Panama Canal transit on her World Cruise passing trough the Culebra Cut approaching the Centennial Bridge and the Pedro Miguel Locks today on sunny August 6th 2011.

Dawn Princess Cruise Ship Features:
Class and type: Sun class
Type: cruise ship
Length: 266 m (873 ft)
Beam: 32 m (105 ft)
Decks: 10 passenger decks
Speed: 21 kn (38.89 km/h) max
Capacity: 1,990 passengers
Crew: 900

Rainstorm approaching over the Panama Canal

Rainstorm approaching over the Panama Canal

Here in this image we see a late afternoon rainstorm approaching over the 2 south bound ships in the Miraflores Locks. The Panama Canal needs those rainstorms that are frequent in the rainy season (from End of March until End of December)  to refill the Gatun Lake and replace all the water that is lost to the Oceans with each ships transit.

New Panama Canal Expansion Works Live Cameras

Pancanal.com has new Panama Canal expansion works live cameras online and you can check them out here.

Canal Expansion Works Panorama View

Arcadia Cruise Ship in the Panama Canal

Here we see the Arcadia Cruise Ship entering the Miraflores Locks in her North Bound Panama Canal transit, today, on a rainy day, June 3 2011 one day later then planed due to a day delay in Los Angeles.

Arcadia Cruise Ship

Arcadia Cruise Ship

Country of registry: Bermuda
Gross Tonnage: 83,500
Length overall: 285m (935ft)
Breadth: 29.2m (96ft)
Draught: 7.8m (26ft)
Service speed: 24 knots
Crew: 880
Regular passenger capacity: 2016
Maximum passenger capacity: 2388
Passenger decks: 11
Passenger cabins: 1008

The MS Rotterdam Cruise Ship in the Panama Canal

Here we see the MS Rotterdam Cruise Ship in the Miraflores Locks on her North Bound Panama Canal transit, today on May 10 2011.

MS Rotterdam Ship Facts:
Ship's Registry:  The Netherlands
Passenger capacity:  1,404
Crew members:  600
Dedicated:  December 1997, by HRH Princess Margriet of the Netherlands

The MS Rotterdam Cruise Ship in the Miraflores Locks, Panama Canal

The MS Rotterdam leaving the Panama Canal Gatun Locks to the Atlantic Ocean

The Coral Princess Cruise Ship in the Panama Canal

Here we see the Coral Princess Cruise Ship today in her south bound Panama Canal transit in the Miraflores Locks, today on May 09 2011. It was a day with heavy thunderstorms and lots of rain around midday. Looks like the Rainy Season is starting and the Cruise Ship Season for the Panama Canal is ending. We see in the smaler image the view  from the Cruise ships onboard live cam and the bigger image from the Live Cam at the Panama Canal Miraflores Locks.

Coral Princess Cruise ships facts:
Tonnage: 88,000
Passenger Capacity: 1,970
Registry: Bermuda
Length: 964’

From the Cruise Ships Live Onboard Cam

The Coral Princess Cruise Ship

The MS Radiance of the Seas in the Panama Canal

The MS Radiance of the Seas is seen here in the Gatun Locks in her South Bound Panama Canal transit, today Thursday, May 5 2011. The MS Radiance of the Seas cruise ship is owned and operated by Royal Caribbean International and has a Capacity of 2,501 passengers.

The MS Radiance of the Seas in the Panama Canal

3 Cruise Ships at the Miraflores Locks

Here we see 3 Cruise Ships, the Century, the Statendam and the Island Princess at the Miraflores Locks in the Panama Canal, today on a rainy Wednesday afternoon, May 4 2011. All 3 cruise ships are on their respective south bound transits.

3 Cruise Ships in the Panama Canal at the Miraflores Locks.

Westerdam - Silver Cloud - Europa

Today we have 3 cruise ships in the Panama Canal the Westerdam, Silver Cloud and the Europa, the Westerdam is on her South Bound transit, and the Silver Could and the Europa are on their respective North Bound transits. The images show the cruise sips in the Gatun and Miraflores Locks.

The Westerdam Cruise Ship in the Gatun Locks

The Silver Cloud and the Europa approaching the Miraflores Locks

The Silver Cloud Cruise Ship in the Miraflores Locks

The Europa Cruise Ship in the Miraflores Locks