Charco Azul facts for kids
Charco Azul is a special bay and port located in the southwest part of Panama. It's very close to the border with Costa Rica. This area is just east of the Burica Peninsula and is part of the larger Gulf of Chiriquí.
The name "Charco Azul" means "blue ditch" or "blue puddle" in Spanish. It got this name because the ocean floor drops very steeply right off the shore. Just a few meters into the Pacific Ocean, the water is already about 200 meters (650 feet) deep! This deep water is what makes Charco Azul so unique.
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Why Charco Azul is Important
A Deepwater Port for Big Ships
Because the water is so deep right next to the shore, engineers chose Charco Azul as the perfect spot for a port. This port is used by very large ships called supertankers. These are huge ships designed to carry massive amounts of oil.
Even though the dock itself is only about 300 feet long, the water is deep enough for the biggest supertankers to safely dock without hitting the bottom. In fact, you can sometimes see deep-sea fish swimming right under the dock!
Oil Transport Hub
Since the late 1970s, Charco Azul has played a key role in moving oil. It was used to unload oil that came from Alaska. This oil was then shipped to refineries in places like Houston and other parts of the Gulf coast of the United States.
The Trans-Panama Pipeline
At first, supertankers would unload oil at Charco Azul. Then, smaller ships called Panamax tankers would load the oil to carry it across the Panama Canal.
In 1982, a big project was finished: the Trans-Panama pipeline. This pipeline was built to carry oil all the way across Panama, from Charco Azul on the Pacific side to the Atlantic side. This made transporting oil much faster and easier.
The pipeline stopped being used for Alaskan oil in 1996 because less oil was being shipped from Alaska. However, it started being used again in 2009. This time, it carries crude oil in the opposite direction, sending it to refineries in countries around the Pacific Ocean.
See also
In Spanish: Bahía de Charco Azul para niños
