Miraflores Locks
This vessel, the Maersk Danbury, belongs in a category known as “Panamax”, the designation for the maximum size allowed to transit the canal. Container ship builders design their ships to this specification in order to get the most cargo possible through the canal. This vessel paid $350,000 for this trip from the Pacific side to the Caribbean side of Panama. We arrived at the Miraflores Locks at 9:00am just as the visitor’s center was opening for the day when this ship was ready to make its way from the first chamber to the second chamber of the locks. During the morning, the traffic flows from the Pacific to the Caribbean, then switches to the opposite direction in the afternoon. (Likewise, during the night they alternate directions.)
Second Act 