I struggled to write about our “adventure” at the Panama Canal. I began writing about its history. From the 1534 Spanish exploration of the isthmus of Panama to France’s failed attempt to construct a canal in the 1880s.

Next, I tried writing about our Panama Canal tour and leaving it up to the reader to learn about the facts and current events surrounding the Canal. However, I finally decided that I must write about some of the misinformation being spread in the U.S. about the Canal.

We are in a unique position to write about this topic since we are here in Panama watching the angry reaction of the Panamanian people to Trump’s crazy rhetoric and lies. Since Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit last week, there have been almost daily protests and demonstrations. As we ride around the city in Ubers, we hear discussions and outrage on the radio. At a café, we watched a Panamanian news talk show angrily dismiss Trump’s statements. The people are upset about the misinformation and distortions of the U.S. government.

The Panama Canal Crisis?

The so-called crisis stems from President Trump’s view that China has taken control of and is running the Panama Canal. In Trump’s inaugural speech, he proclaimed “Above all, China is operating the Panama Canal. And we didn’t give it to China. We gave it to Panama, and we’re taking it back.” This claim is absolutely false.

Five containerized ports serve the canal. Three are on the Atlantic side, and two are on the Pacific side. All these ports are located outside the canal itself.

The Balboa terminal port on the Pacific side and Cristóbal terminal port on the Atlantic side are run by Panama Ports Company (PPC), part of Hutchinson Port Holdings which is part of a subsidiary Hong Kong-based conglomerate. CK Hutchison is one of the world’s largest port operators, overseeing 53 ports in 24 countries including the UK, Australia, and Canada.

Workers at these ports load and unload containers onto ships and supply them with fuel. Even though these two ports are operated by a Hong Kong company, the canal itself is operated by the Panama Canal Authority. In fact, ships transiting through the canal must be piloted by Panamanian captains. Panama Canal Authority monitors and audits all traffic and port activity.

I understand that there is a concern that China, through CK Hutchison, could sabotage or turn the canal into a chokepoint, but this would be an enormous task requiring extensive planning and organization. Panama doesn’t want any country to control the canal, China or the U.S. Because Panama’s economy and government are very stable, they are not likely to lose or give up control of the canal. Further, the U.S. committed in the 1977 treaty which transferred control of the canal to Panama to use military force to defend the canal if it was threatened.

Even though the U.S. built the original canal, Panama has invested $5.2 billion on an expansion project that added a third set of locks to the 102-year-old canal, allowing it to accommodate the huge new container ships that now dominate world maritime trade but were too large to fit through the canal’s original locks. Over 14,000 ships pass through the locks annually.

The Canal

The Panama Canal was truly a monumental feat of engineering and human ingenuity. Until we visited the canal and toured the canal museum, we had little knowledge of its history, challenges, defeats, and successes in the last 300+ years.

I wondered why locks are needed on the canal. The Suez Canal is a sea-level canal, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. Why wasn’t a sea-level canal constructed in Panama? I didn’t realize that the Continental Divide runs through mountains in the center of Panama. It was impossible to remove a small mountain range to create a sea-level canal.

In fact, in the 1880s, France tried to build a sea-level canal.  It ultimately failed due to challenges like tropical diseases (malaria and yellow fever), mountainous terrain, landslides, and poor management. In nine years, roughly 20,000 men died.

Before the construction of the canal, transport was by canoe on the Chagres River. The river was used to transport gold and silver and to supply Panama City. Travelers would canoe up the Chagres River to a small town and then travel by mule to Panama City on the Pacific side.

As part of the construction of the canal, dams were built on the Chagres River. This created Gatun Lake and Lake Madden. Channels were dug:

• Between Gatun Lake and Lake Madden
• Between the locks at Pedro Miquel and Chagres River
• From the Gatun Locks to the Pacific Ocean

The Panama Canal has six sets of locks consisting of two parallel transit lanes of two locks at each set.

The locks are:

Miraflores Locks – Located on the Pacific side, these locks have two chambers and raise ships 54 feet to Lake Miraflores.

Pedro Miguel Locks – Located on the Pacific side, these locks have one chamber and raise ships 31 feet to Lake Gatun.

Gatun Locks – Located on the Atlantic side, these locks have three chambers and lower ships 85 feet back to sea level.

We took a short Uber ride to the Miraflores Locks. Just as we arrived, there was a large cargo ship already in the lock. After going through the first set of locks, ships maneuver through Miraflores Lake, Pedro Miquel Locks, Chagres River, Gatun Lake, and Gatun Locks to the Atlantic near the town of Colon. We have seen locks before, on the Mississippi River and passed through them. The Miraflores locks work the same way. But because of the size of the ships and the tight fit through the locks, the ships are pulled by “mules” (short railroad engines) through the locks. The canal operators, mules, and ship personnel all coordinate their efforts.

We enjoyed watching the large cargo ship in Miraflores Lock. It took about 1 ½ hours to pass through the lock and it takes 8 to 10 hours to pass through the entire canal.

We also watched a 45-minute IMAX film, narrated by Morgan Freeman. The cinematography was excellent, and the film documented the awe-inspiring effort to build the canal. If you find yourself in Panama City, a visit to the canal is a must.

THE CAUSEWAY ISLANDS

A lot of rock was excavated to build the Panama Canal. So, what did they do with all that earth and rock? A causeway was constructed that joins Panama City with four islands: Naos, Perico, Culebra, and Flamenco. It was built in 1913 as part of a US military complex called Fort Amador, to protect the Pacific entrance to the Canal. It has been transformed into a promenade that is one of the most popular and visited places in Panama and has a beautiful view of the city and of the ships waiting to enter the Canal.

One morning, we rented bikes to ride out to the islands and enjoy the scenery. Shops and restaurants line the 2-mile causeway and a cruise ship terminal serves passengers bound for Panama City.

By the time we pedaled to the fourth island, it was already over 90 degrees. We stopped to have a cold drink and headed back to visit the BioMuseo located near the other end of the causeway. We hate being hot and sticky and welcomed the air conditioning of the building. This worthwhile museum depicts the eco-diversity of Panama since it emerged from the ocean floor 3 million years ago. Panama became the last land mass and final bridge connecting North and South America. It was an interesting tour to help us understand Panama’s importance to the Western Hemisphere.

We are in our third week here and can see that President Trump’s rhetoric is damaging the relationship the U.S. has with Panama. The Canal is central to Panamanian national identity and if the U.S. were to launch an unprovoked invasion, we would badly damage our reputation and strengthen China’s influence in Panama (and probably in the rest of Central and South America.) A better strategy instead of military threats, would be for the U.S. to focus on supporting Panama’s stability and maintaining good relations with our close ally.