A total of 963,000 ship-spotters made the journey to the Miraflores visitor centre, the expansion observations centre and the Gatun visitor centre.

Jorge Quijano, Panama Canal administrator, said: “This is the largest number of visitors received at the Panama Canal in a year.

“This highlights the waterway’s potential as a tourist attraction.”

Compared to 2013, the figure represents a 9.6% increase in volumes, 70% of whom were foreigners and 30% Panamanian citizens.

Witnessing