PANAMA CANAL TOLLS

·         Ships (with few exceptions) are charged a toll based on their weight. The average toll for a ship to travel the canal is $150,000, but it can get much more expensive for the largest ships and additional surcharges.

·         All tolls for the Panama Canal must be paid in cash, and must be paid at least 48 hours in advance.

·         With the opening of the new, large locks as part of the canal expansion completed in 2016, much larger ships can now pass through the canal.

·         Prior to the completion of the 2016 canal expansion, the most expensive regular toll was paid by the cruise ship the Norwegian Peal, which paid $375,000 to cross the canal.

·         The new record for the most expensive toll ever paid is now held by the MOL Benefactor, a 10,000 TEU cargo ship, which paid $829,000 to transit the new locks.

·         It is expected that when a post-Panamax ship (which can hold up to 13,000 TEU of cargo) transits the new canal, that the record toll will pass $1 million.

The cheapest toll ever paid to travel the canal was 36 cents in 1928 by Richard Halliburton, who swam the length of the canal.