The Panama Canal

Festival of the Sea on Isla Taboga the 17 and 18 of March, 2012

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The inaugural Festival of the Sea on Isla Taboga is coming soon! A weekend packed with cultural activities, sports and fun, the Island of Flowers is hosting this grand event to promote the island in Panama and further abroad. The streets will be filled with stalls of crafts, music and local cuisine, an extravaganza of culture and excitement.

Spanning 2 sunny days in March (the 17th and 18th), the island will burst into life with 10,000 expected visitors to its normally sleepy lanes. Planned as a colorful and unique event for families, there will be numerous recreational activities for visitors each day of the festival.

As the evening draws in the party will become more vibrant and lively for the adults, with the Festival of the Sea expected to become one of Panama’s biggest and best parties.  Artist and music producer Alexander Lagrotta is sponsoring the festival, and his enthusiasm for the project clearly showed when he said “I am honored to be invited to participate at this event… Taboga, an island of flowers, you are my inspiration.”

More about Isla Taboga, Panama.

Just a short distance from the mouth of the Canal, this beautiful island is normally a haven for protected seabirds. Vast colonies inhabit the far side of the island, with the town sheltered in a beautiful cove. This island offers a taste of the relaxed Caribbean on Panama’s Pacific coast, with quick access to the Canal and Panama City.

Employment Generation through the Panama Canal Projects

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The Panama Canal expansion is expected to create 40,000 new jobs during construction of the third set of locks, plus 7000 additional support jobs during the peak years of building. Projected medium and long term economic growth fostered by the expanded Canal and the economic activity produced by Canal revenues will drive Panama into an even more prominent global position.

Panama’s Canal Interoceanic Museum in Casco Viejo

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In the heart of the Old District of Panama City, Casco Viejo, sits the fantastic Panama Interoceanic Canal Museum. The museum provides a history of the planning, construction and operation of the world’s most famous Canal. Housed in the old Canal administration building which was built by the French as a regional headquarters.

A Sustainable Future at Lake Gatun

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Gatun Lake is one of the most important portions of the Panama Canal, serving as both the main waterway of the Canal and also a vast reservoir for operating the locks. Each time a ship transits the canal 53 million gallons of water is drained from the lake into the sea, a truly colossal total when combined with the 14,000 other vessel transits per year. Since rainfall is seasonal in Panama the lake is the Canal’s primary source of water storage with the local rainforest helping in water regulation and release.

Portobelo Tours

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This now sleepy town sited on a beautiful deep water bay 40 minutes from the city of Colon was once a busy Spanish trade center. Fortified by a strong fort and garrisons of soldiers in its heyday,  Portobelo was well known worldwide and frequented by pirates thirsting to capture ships leaving the gold laden port.

Panama Canal Expansion includes Post-Panamax Locks

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One of the major engineering projects of the early 21st century is the construction of the so called “post-panamax” locks as part of the expansion of the nearly century old Panama Canal.

The bidding on both engineering issues and cost was won by Grupo Unidos por el Canal S. A. (GUPCSA). This group is a partnership of Sacyr Vallermoso, Impregilo, JAN DE NUL and Constructora Urbana SA. A look at the periodic reports issued by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) gives us a clue as to the immensity of the project and the professionalism in how it is being carried out.