Why the Panama Canal is Dying

It’s a long queue that could have repercussions on our daily lives. For the past few weeks, hundreds of container ships have been clogging up in front of one of the essential links in international trade. The Panama Canal, a gigantic corridor some 80 kilometers long, has been taken over by merchant ships. They are all waiting to cross this 100-year-old passage linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Some 14,000 ships use it every year, accounting for 6% of the world’s merchandise flow. A vital link in the supply chain to stores all over the world, but one that’s set to continue... Technical failure, lack of space, climate issues... why is this marvel of engineering, with its eventful history, now under threat? Back in 2006, the queues in Panama were already making headlines. The canal had become too dilapidated, too small to accommodate the new container ships, ever larger, ever wider and ever bigger. After a referendum vote, the country embarked on a 6 billion euro expansion of the canal