The voters and the ships

摘要

Almost half of the ships that pass through the Panama canal fit its locks perfectly. And yet, with a scant half metre on either side, and not much more space fore and aft, the perfect fit serves only to make these "Panamax" ships look out of place. They are penned in: lifted and lowered by enormous surges of water in and out of the locks, while tied to locomotives to prevent them touching the sides. They seem far too big to be surrounded by land.