Chocks and Bitts Arrangement for Panama Canal Transit
Ask any master who has threaded a vessel through the Gatun Locks and they will tell you the real work happens on deck, not the bridge. Long before a ship enters the chamber, her bow and stern need chocks and bitts arranged in a precise configuration dictated by the Panama Canal Authority. This arrangement of chocks and bitts for transit of Panama Canal isn’t a cosmetic detail — it’s the mechanical interface between the ship and the electric locomotives that keep her centered through some of the tightest clearances in commercial shipping.
