COMBAT IN PANAMA : PANAMA CANAL REOPENS
The Panama Canal Commission, jointly operated by Panama and the United States, said it was reopening the canal Thursday and allowing 12 ships to travel the waterway.
Franklin Castrellon, a commission spokesman, said that passage was restricted because of “personnel limitations.” The 51-mile canal usually operates 24 hours a day, but for now will run only during daylight hours.
Passage through the 75-year-old canal--which handles an average of 33 ships daily--was interrupted early Wednesday morning when U.S. troops landed in Panama. An estimated 60 ships are waiting to pass through.
Most of the world’s shipping can go through the locks with the exception of the largest aircraft carriers and some of the giant petroleum and other bulk cargo ships.
Principal products traveling through from the Pacific side include: oil, ores, lumber, bananas, and iron and steel products. Products from the Caribbean side include: oil, coal and coke, grains, soybeans, and phosphates.
THE CANAL--The ship channel is 51 miles long and has a minimum depth of 38.8 feet. It varies in width, with the minimum being 500 feet.
The route reaches a maximum altitude of 87 feet above sea level as it crosses Gatun Lake. Passage takes about 8 hours.
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