9781422281192

This enormous container ship can barely fit into the Gatun locks of the Panama Canal. Since the canal opened, ships have been designed to the maximum size that can pass through the Canal—a specification known as Panamax.

bol of the times. It represented a new strategy for interna- tional commerce: Create larger vessels to deliver more prod- ucts and passengers in a single voyage. Shipping magnates were building larger and faster craft constructed of iron and steel and powered by steam. The second half of the nine- teenth century was an era when cargo tonnages and pas- senger accommodations multiplied. Economically, the nations of the world were being brought together at a phe- nomenal pace. The pace would quicken with the construction of canals that shortened shipping routes and altered trade strategies.

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The Global Community: Techniques and Strategies of Trade