Containership Transiting Through the Agua Clara Locks, Panama

Containership Transiting Through the Agua Clara Locks Panama

Photo: Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue, 2018

The expanded Panama Canal came online in 2016, offering the opportunity to accommodate large ships and strengthen its economies of scale. The Agua Clara locks are one of the two lock sets that link the Atlantic / Caribbean Ocean to Lake Gatun.

The containership in the above photo is the Valparaiso Express, owned by Hapag Llyod. The Neopanamax ship of 11,500 TEU was built in 2016 with the design specifications to fit the expanded Panama Canal locks exactly. In the background is the Atlantic Bridge crossing the Atlantic entrance of the canal, which opened in 2019. It is the third bridge crossing the canal, along with the Bridge of the Americas and the Centennial Bridge.