Breaking the Waves: The Trailblazing Women of the Panama Canal

Written By Neil Parker

NEWS From Panama

1st February 2025

For centuries, the Panama Canal has been one of the world's most vital maritime shortcuts. As global trade routes have shifted and shipping traffic has ballooned, this legendary waterway has had to continually modernise its operations to keep up.

Agua Clara Lock, Panama Canal. Illustration by Neil Parker.

Agua Clara Lock, Panama Canal. Illustration by Neil Parker.

A significant step in ensuring the canal's reliability and efficiency is the introduction of the Long-Term Slot Allocation (LoTSA) programme. The canal has now moved from a 'first-come, first-served' model to a complete 100% booking system. This means shipping operators can pay a booking fee for their transit slots, which provides them with crucial certainty and predictability in an industry where time is money.


An Idea Centuries in the Making

The concept of connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans across Central America is hardly new. The idea dates back to 1513, when the Spanish conquistador Vasco Núñez de Balboa first traversed the Isthmus of Panama. This narrow strip of land, which links North and South America and holds the country of Panama, is a place of immense geopolitical and strategic importance. Balboa was so struck by the potential that he wrote in his journal about the possibility of building a canal to join the oceans.


The Women Who Are Piloting Change

While the construction and operation of the Panama Canal has been long and complex, a particularly interesting thread in its history is the often-overlooked but hugely significant role of Panamanian women in its operation, especially throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.

It's been a gradual, sometimes invisible process, but women have steadily gained responsibility, rank, and status across all departments of the Canal Authority, paving the way for greater involvement in the local maritime industry as a whole.

This progress can be seen in key trailblazers. In June 1988, Sarah Terry made history by becoming the first woman to graduate from the Panama Canal towboat training programme and the first qualified female pilot after completing the full pilot-in-training course. She retired in 2001, having opened the door for many others.

Sarah Terry, the first woman Panama Canal pilot, 1988

Sarah Terry, the first woman Panama Canal pilot, 1988

The first Panamanian female Canal Pilot is Captain Vilma Romero, who started her pioneering career in September 1998. Today, there are six female Panama Canal Pilots in total: Captain Romero is followed by Panamanian captains Marianela Smith, Katherine Rodriguez, Carolina de Acosta, Veronica Will, and Paola Castillo.


A Legacy of Contribution

Archives from the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) show that women have been making major contributions since the very beginning. The first woman was hired in June 1904 as a superintendent of nurses for the Isthmian Canal Commission. By 1908, there were 205 women on the payroll.

While initially most women held positions traditionally reserved for their gender, that is rapidly changing. Today, out of the Canal’s total permanent workforce of 8,493 members, 1,018 are women. Crucially, 163 of these women are now assigned to what are considered non-traditional positions, demonstrating a deep and continuing shift in the workplace culture.

In Panama, women's involvement has been central to the development of the maritime sector since the canal's construction, and they continue to drive the evolution and growth of the country's flourishing local maritime industry today.

 

The Old-English version of this article appears in issue 1 of The Boat Cove Chronicle.

 

Bibliography

Neil Parker
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