At the time of this writing, our Panamanian brothers and sisters are awakening (with little surprise) to the news that 78% of them voted in favour of the referendum question on the Panama Canal expansion project, thereby agreeing with the overwhelming favourable opinion of the international community. Perhaps inspired by Unamuno, President Torrijos said after the results were known: "Today we have been protagonists of our destiny; today we have set down the bases to build a better country"

There is no question that the Panama Canal is the signature engineering feat of the past century. However, its heretofore unrivalled preeminence is increasingly facing competition. To be sure, the Canal has never been a static work, but rather a work-in-progress, having been the object of several improvements over the recent past in its infrastructure and its functioning.

Whatever fears that the Canal would suffer following the U.S. withdrawal have proven baseless, as the Canal's efficiency and maintenance have actually improved under Panamanian control. Canal Waters Time (the average time it takes a vessel to navigate the canal, including waiting time) is decreasing and the rate of accidents is at a record low. Another interesting effect of the handover is that it has allowed Panama to sell excess electricity produced by the canal's dams, as only 25% of the hydroelectric power produced in the canal system is required to operate it.

The canal now handles more traffic than had ever been dreamed by its builders. Though in 1934 it was estimated that the maximum capacity of the canal would be around 80 million tons per year, canal traffic in 2005 consisted of 278.8 million tons of shipping. At present, the Canal can handle ships, known as Panamax vessels, carrying up to 4,000 containers. The current locks are 33 metres wide, but the new locks would be 50 metres, whilst a third lane of traffic would be able to handle the wider loads. With these wider locks and deeper and wider access canals the Canal could handle Post-Panamax ships carrying up to 10,000 containers.

It seems that no matter which source one consults, the default description of the Canal states that it joins the Pacific Ocean with the Atlantic. Sitting as I do right now in Trinidad and Tobago, it is quite clear that what the Panama Canal brings together are the Pacific and the Caribbean Sea.

As such, the construction and existence of the Panama Canal has already had a profound influence in our common affairs, affecting even the ethnicity and culture of our region. Most of the Canal's workforce during the US construction period in the early 20th century arrived in Panama from the West Indies, on board the steamship Cristobal and 4,500 of the 5,609 dead from illnesses or accidents during this construction period were from the West Indies. It is a curious footnote that, though officially the first ship to traverse the Canal was the SS Ancón, unofficially, the Cristobal was the first ship to use it.

It seems our Panamanian friends have taken a cue from one of the Canal's fathers, Theodore Roosevelt, who said: "If you build it, they will come." With this new decision by the Panamanian people, the Panama Canal's presence will continue to be felt in our region and it is up to all of us in the Greater Caribbean to ensure that this time we are better prepared to reap the fruits planted by Panamanian's last Sunday.

Luis Carpio is the Director of Transport and Natural Disasters of the Association of Caribbean States. The views expressed are not necessarily the official views of the ACS. Feedback can be sent to: mail@acs-aec.org