Have you ever wondered what the logistical procsess of moving goods across the globe looks like? Many of the ports now offer real-time camera feeds of their shipping ports, including our favorite of the Panama Canal and its several locks.
The Panama Canal is unique in that it must lift and lower ships into two man made lakes, Gatun and Madden. The canal is 50 miles long (deep water to deep water) connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Though there are twelve locks total, only six locks are used for commercial transit. Each lock takes approximately 10 minutes to fill or empty, and two minutes to open the gates. Electric "mules" pull ships on cables through the locks, usually three on each side of a ship.
For more interesting port cameras visit here. Many offer hi-definition video and real-time transit video 24 hours a day.
Smooth sailing!
